Lya and the Labyrinth
by MaureenManiac
Summary: "My name is Lya Redwan and tomorrow I will be seventeen years of age. I was born in the Seam, and if I never get reaped, I will probably die in the Seam. But the odds are never in our favor, are they?" PEETA/OC Romance. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Hot Broth in Hot Hands

_Authors Notes:_

_This is my second fanfic. If you'd like to read the prologue to this, it's in my other stories called "Just Another Piece". I'd highly recommend it, as it sets the whole backstory to this one._  
_I've read a lot of fanfics where it is literally just the Hunger Games typed out with name changes in place of Katniss and a few scenes written in. I didn't want to do that, so this is Catching Fire re-written, as if it never existed in the first place. The arena will be different, as will the Quell and the characters._  
_I apologize if you're a Katniss-Peeta lover, but I killed her off. No regrets. Of course if you read the prologue, you'd know that already._

_This is the story of Lya and the Labyrinth._

Chapter One.  
Hot Broth in Hot Hands

The sun is setting on the mountains in the distance. Sitting in a tree branch, I watch the shadow of evening slowly creep over the meadow and settle on The Seam. The atmosphere is perfectly appropriate in preparation for the day that will come soon, the day of the reaping.

My name is Lya Redwan and tomorrow I will be seventeen years of age. I have paler skin than most who live in the Seam, more likely because I spend most of my time in the merchant area of District 12. My eyes are a dark brown, but you can never really tell anyway, because they just look jet-black. I have long brown hair that forms curls at the end. In the right sunlight it almost shines golden brown, like honey.

I only ever saw honey once, I was much smaller then. My father brought some back from a trip through the Hob, it was a rare find. We spread it on some bread we'd brought from Mr. Mellark's bakery and ate it, mother, father and me; nevertheless it's now just a bittersweet memory.

Sometimes I miss my father, but most of the time I don't. Im still angry with him for leaving me. Mother died a while ago now, she tripped while walking back home from the square and rubble lying on the side of the road gashed her leg. It wasn't the wound that killed her; it was the infection from living in these neglected conditions. A woman called Marie Everdeen was the doctor in the Seam, but she couldn't do anything. She plastered all sorts of herbs and green pastes on her, but nothing worked. Nothing made a difference.

My father changed after that, everyone said he was losing it, going mad. He began rambling about going to District 13, rambling about The Capitol and conspiracy. The next thing I knew, I was alone. He'd gone off on whim, and left me.

I kicked a loose branch out of the tree and watched it crash to the ground.  
I was born in the Seam, and if the odds are indeed in my favor and I never get reaped, I will probably die in the Seam. It's something that isn't feared around here. To die in the Seam is considered a good thing. It's far better than the other alternative, even if I now live in the merchant area.

I scaled down the tree from branch to bough until my feet touched the hard dirt. Sweeping my hair from my eyes, I hoisted my pack over my shoulder and headed towards home. I use the term "home" loosely. Since father left, I stay with a little old woman called Ria. Her hands are shaky and her eyesight is failing, but her heart is in the right place. She is the seamstress of the merchant area, and has a small shop opposite Mr. Mellark's bakery.

I also use the term "shop" loosely. Its really just four walls, a floor and a leaky roof in winter, but it fetches what money it can, even though each year I need to take tesserae. Above the shop is a small room where Ria and I sleep. The roof leaks even more there, which escapes through the floor onto unsuspecting customers when the seasons turn cold.  
Outback from the shop is our kitchen and bathroom in one. There is a metal tub in the back corner behind a wooden dressing partition where I bathe in the early mornings. Ria, with her age, now needs my help to step down into the tub.

As I push open the door to the shop, a small bell chimes. Ria looks up from threading a worn out blanket and beams her crooked smile at me. Her gray hair wisps down her back and her plump fingers work a needle at a surprising rate.  
With a nod and a small smile at Ria, I slide past her and push open the heavy wooden door at the back of the shop and step down into the kitchen. The door gently closes behind me, the numerous locks and chains welded into the back of it clattering and rattling.

I set down my pack and tie the old apron around my waist. I never grew very tall or big so the hem drags around my knees. I open the wooden basket that we keep under the table and pull out a potato, some carrots and a few leafy greens.  
Although Ria can thread a needle in the dark, her hands shake too much to prepare meals, so the duty falls to me. I don't mind, not really, it's better than living out in the street. Its better than being a starving, frail body, sitting at the Head Peacekeepers step, hoping he would feed me in return for a night of company.

I suppress a shiver at the thought and turn to get the metal bucket for water to make broth.  
Lifting the heavy pail in both hands, I wrap my arms around it and waddle out the front of the shop to a water tap outside. I place the bucket underneath the tap and force the handle open, the water flowing into the bottom of the bucket with a splash. It was almost gloomy outside now, the shadow of the night slowly falling upon the merchant area of District 12.

I fill the bucket to near brim and shut the tap off. My first attempt to lift the heavy bucket was unsuccessful, and all I succeeded in doing was sloshing water down the front of my apron. My second attempt was much better, I managed to lift the bucket slightly off the ground, but unfortunately I lost my footing on the hard stones and reeled backwards. A strong pair of arms wrapped around me from behind and one arm pulled the bucket easily into the air while the other drew warm around my waist pulling me close to a hard body. I looked up in surprise, a pair of dazzling blue eyes locking with my own.  
I didn't even realize I was being lifted slightly off the ground until the young man gently leant down until my feet came in contact with the earth. My knees felt like jelly and my heart was beating fast inside my chest.

"Are you okay?" he spoke kindly, running his now free hand through his messy blonde hair.  
"Yeah, uhm, the bucket…. its heavy" came my breathless reply.  
With a smile, the young man wandered into Ria's shop carrying my bucket, the bell chiming melodiously as I trailed after him. My eyes wandered over the back of his body, he had strong arms and a broad physique. He disappeared out the back into the kitchen and I heard the sound of water sloshing and I guessed he was pouring it into the pot I'd set up over the fire.  
Ria was humming to herself as she darned with a mischievous grin on her lips. The young man appeared back through the door and with a courteous nod and a smile at Ria and me, he slipped out the front of the shop and into the street.

I reluctantly turned away from the shop window and brushing my hair nervously behind my ear, I went back into the kitchen. Sitting there on the bench next to my chopped vegetables was a small loaf of bread, the heat still rising gently from the crust. Surprised, I took it in my hands, breathing in its warm doughy scent. Placing it back down, I stirred the water in the pot, which was now near boiling. Reaching into the cupboard I pulled out a petite parcel of brown paper. Inside was a small hunk of squirrel meat I had brought from Gale Hawthorne at the Hob. Cutting a small ration off and portioning it, I slid the meat into the pot of hot water. I added a cube of spices and compressed grains that would give the broth some flavor at the least.

As I stirred the pot, I thought of the young man, and those blue eyes. I'd seen him sometimes in the classrooms at school, always through a window. And the whole of Panem had watched him last year. He was a year older than me, and far more important to have noticed someone as trivial as me. In such a brief moment, when I'd seen those eyes up close, I'd noticed how much sadness they held.  
I was shaken from my daydreaming when a spot of hot liquid flew from the pot and onto a naked part of my arm. Cursing and rubbing my new burn, I stirred the pot that was now boiling over and pushed a metal stick into the fire to disperse the flames. Lifting the chopped vegetables, I laid them in the pot and mixed.  
Leaving the broth to simmer, I pulled two wooden mugs out of the cupboard, and then a third as an after thought. I took my knife from my belt, and after cleaning it on my slightly wet apron; I sliced off a generous chunk of the baker boy's bread.  
It was now almost dark inside the back room, so I took a thin stick from the fire and lit the candles that were located around the chamber.  
Stirring the broth once more, I slid the pot off the fire and carefully ladled the precious soup into the three mugs. Balancing the chunk of bread on one of the mugs, I took a second in my hand and walked out into the shop front. I put the two mugs and bread down in front of Ria. Darting back into the kitchen, I took one of the candles and bringing it into the front room, placed it by Ria to give her light to work and eat by.

"Thank you Lya" she said in a fruity voice.

"No problem Ria" I smiled warmly as I picked up the second mug and made my way toward the front door of the shop.

"Lya, where are you going?" she called playfully.

"To say thank you," I said over my shoulder as I pushed out the front of the shop.

I walked the few paces it took to cross the road, and directly in front of me was the Mellark's bakery. It was slightly fancier than most stores in the merchant area, perhaps because it had been there for as long as most could remember. It belonged to Mr. Mellark's father before him, and the sturdy shop reminded most of District 12 of times when Panem wasn't in such poverty.

Taking a deep breath I pulled the door open and stepped inside. It was warm and cozy in the bakery, the sweet smell of cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the air. I walked toward the counter and a figure popped up from stacking flour bags. He was an older man, with wrinkles from smiling so much and kindhearted eyes.

"Lya!" he exclaimed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hi Mr. Mellark" I greeted happily.

I was always happy to see the gentle old man; he always had a kind word to say. Looking down, he eyed the mug I grasped in my hands and with a wink at me, he ducked out into the back room of the bakery.  
I stepped forward towards the glass cabinet that contained all the beautifully decorated cakes and pastries. The delicately lined cookies with intricate weavings looked simply delicious and I felt my stomach rumble, as I hadn't eaten yet today. I felt a presence behind me and I slowly turned to find the same blue eyes watching me.  
I felt a blush crawl up my cheeks and I held out the mug of hot broth towards him. Warm hands clasped around mine and I felt the heat of them sear right through my bones. Unwillingly, I relinquished both the mug and his hands back to him.

"This is to say thank you, for before" I found my lips saying without me willing them too.

"That's really nice Lya, thanks," the deep voice said.

"Oh! And for the bread" I added softly, with a sly smile. The young man raised an eyebrow at me, a grin pulling at the corners of his lips. A voiced called him from outback and he glanced towards it. Turning back to me he gave me a slight bow, and holding the mug of broth, he gave one last glance into my eyes, which felt like it could have lasted hours, and we both turned our separate ways.

As I reached the front door, I peeked behind me and I was very much aware of two striking blue eyes following me out the door and across the road.


	2. Chapter 2: Happy Birthday Lya

_Authors Notes:_  
_This is my second chapter, and hopefully you guys are enjoying it. Review please if you have comments or suggestions, or you just want to let me know Im doing a good job. :)_

Chapter Two  
Happy Birthday Lya

I open my eyes, expecting to see sunshine peeking in through the moth eaten curtains, but instead the room was covered in a gray shadow. The sun hadn't yet risen and I turned over to see Ria snoring softly in the bed above me. I slept on the wooden floor on a thin mattress, which during the day was pushed under the creaky bed.

Today, I am seventeen. I should consider myself one of the lucky ones. My name is in the reaping at least eleven times, today a twelfth one will be added. This isn't as bad as some of the other kids, they take tesserae for their brothers and sisters as well, I only have myself.

I pulled myself off the floor, pushing the mattress away with my foot and picked up my pack that sits by the foot of my "bed". At night I put the next day's clothes in, something that had become a habit for me.  
Grabbing my belt and knife off the hook by the door, I crept silently down the stairs. I made sure to avoid the seventh one, it always creaks.  
Sliding into the kitchen, I wrapped up the last of the bread and some goats cheese. I pulled my long nightshirt up over my head, I threw it into a basket for washing later. Just another one of my chores. I dug through my backpack, retrieving a simple pair of black long pants, made of sturdy corduroy. Pulling a red tunic over my head, I hung my belt beneath it, hiding my knife. It wasn't well looked upon to carry weapons in Panem, even in the Districts. I slipped my feet into a simple pair of leather boots. The woman that they used to belong to was much taller that I am, so they came up to just below my knees.

Pulling part of my hair away from my face, I plaited it and clipped it back. I washed my face in the basin, and picked up my parcel of food and my clothesbasket. I slipped out the front door of the shop, making sure I silenced that damn chiming bell.

The morning air was icy on my face and I walked slowly along the quiet streets. The normal hustle and bustle of the hectic streets was instead just a quiet hum as the men who labored in the mines walked the worn path towards work. A few nodded politely to me and I smiled in return. Hope is really the only thing we all have in common, a hope for a brighter future. The sun peeks over the mountains and sheds its light on the dismal houses and workshops.

I knock quietly on door-to-door, collecting clothes to be washed or darned from the residents of District 12. I end up in the town square, nibbling on bread and cheese and looking up at The Justice building. The huge clock face beams down on me. I know with each tick he sounds, is just is taunting all of us, letting us know that our time is running out. I see one of the Peacekeepers out making his rounds and my hand instinctively rests on my tunic, just over my knife. We're lucky here in 12, our Peacekeepers aren't so bad. The fence that surrounds our district is supposed to be electrified, but it hardly ever is. Most speculate if it can even be turned on, although not many are willing to take that risk, bar a few. Wild meat often turns up at The Hob and we all buy it, and we all keep quiet.

I knock on the back door to Mayor Undersee's house. The door opens and I see Madge smiling at me. She's the only daughter of the Mayor. I quite like Madge, we go to school together, and I sometimes sit with her at lunch.

"Hello Lya!" Madge chirped at me.

"Morning Madge, Im just here to find if you have any washing or stitching needed doing?"

Madge nodded and turned back down the hallway, the ribbons in her pigtails bouncing. I looked after her, the pictures of previous Mayors looming at me from the walls. Returning, Madge put a small bundle of clothes into my basket. I turned to leave when she called out to me.

"Wait Lya!"

Spinning back, Madge pulled her other hand from behind her back, her fingers enclosed in a fist. She took one of my hands in hers and pressed something into it. Opening my fist I saw a small woven bracelet made with pink ribbon. It had a small metal bird woven into the center of the band.

"Oh Madge" I gasped softly.

"I didn't forget your birthday silly!" She chirped at me. "Happy Birthday Lya"

"Madge, tie it for me?" I asked and stretched out my left arm. Madge wrapped it around my wrist, and as she did, her smile wavered.

"Don't worry Madge, the odds of being chosen are slim"

"I know Lya, its just…it doesn't seem fair that days before the reaping, they add yet another name for you into the ball."

"One more year Madge, one more year, one more reaping and we're done. We're out for good."

Madge nodded, and I pulled her into a one armed hug. Surprised, Madge squeezed me tightly back. Embarrassed, I pulled back and gave her a warm smile.

"Thanks for the beautiful present Madge." I waved goodbye and securing the basket under my arm, I made my way towards home.

I had one last stop before I went to work though, and I'll admit, before I knocked on the backdoor to the bakery, I put down the basket of laundry and fussed over my hair a little. I stepped up onto the top step and I tapped lightly on the wooden door and waited, but nobody answered. I tapped a little harder, but there was still no reply. I turned to leave when I heard the door creak behind me. Whirling around I found myself nose to nose with a solid body that was coming right at me. The collision almost forced me back off the stairs, and it would have if two arms hadn't reached out and enveloped me in them. Those remarkable blue eyes were looking softly into my brown ones.

"Are you always this clumsy?" his deep voice rumbled at me.

I leant back as far as his arms would allow me to and raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Oh well, maybe if a giant boulder didn't keep knocking me…" I retorted. His arms slowly left my back, drawing his fingertips over my waist to rest at his side but the grin never left his face.

"You're up early" he commented, looking out past me towards the rising sun.

"So are you, your mother normally gets the door for me"

His shifted his weight uncomfortably onto his other leg and shrugged. "She's still at the house today, I uh, I have something for you".

He turned and reached inside to produce a parcel of clothes. He leaned past me, his breath warm on my cold neck sending trembles down my back, and plopped the clothes into the basket on the ground.  
I gave a nervous smile and before I could turn he stretched out and took my hand towards him. In it he put a small paper box that they used to put cupcakes in. I looked up at him, my eyes wide and questioning.  
He cleared his throat and his eyes travelled back up into mine.

"Happy Birthday Lya" He softly said.

He gave my hand and gently squeeze and with a smile he turned back into the bakery and quietly shut the door behind me. I stood there, frozen for a few moments, not from the cold wind, I can assure you. My heart was racing and the temperature in my body was near the same as a furnace. I tenderly tucked the paper box into my pack, picked up the clothesbasket and walked around the bakery into Ria's seamstress shop.

As I scrubbed hard at the stains on those clothes that needed to be washed, some suspiciously looking a lot like blood, Ria moved around in the shop front, mending and sewing.

Suddenly I dropped the shirt I had been working on back into the soapy water. The box! I pulled it carefully from my backpack and set it on the table. Opening the lid, I gasped when I saw what was inside.  
There was a cupcake with the most picturesque icing I had ever seen.  
It was decorated with pinks and whites, swirling into a beautiful pattern similar to the way milk does when added to tea. Looking carefully I realized the pattern actually formed a picture. It was a beautiful butterfly, resting on a flower. I'd never seen anything like it.

I felt like there were butterflies of their own, flitting around in my stomach, and that's when I realized.

I was wildly in love with Peeta, the baker's son, and victor of the 74th Hunger Games.


	3. Chapter 3: The Quarter Quell

_Authors Notes: Well Im glad people are enjoying this as much as Im enjoying writing it! :)_  
_Edit: Im also unsure If I should upload an audio link so you can know what Ria's song sounds like. There will be a few songs in this story..._

Lya and the Labyrinth.

**Chapter Three.**  
The Quarter Quell

I washed the hot water over my bare shoulders. Fumbling with the tie, I let my hair free and slowly sunk down into the water. Opening my eyes, I looked up through the reflections that the candles in the kitchen made on the ripples in the tub.

It was so quiet, so peaceful. I held my breath until my lungs began to burn and gushing, I resurfaced.

I wished I could stay down there for the rest of the day, until the reaping was over. Down there, hopes and dreams didn't seem so far away, and all the fears that had taken rent in my head, had moved on. And this year would be even worse, this year was the 75th Hunger Games. This meant there was a quarter quell, and the games were twice as dangerous this year.

Pulling myself unwillingly from the delicious tub, I draped a towel over my naked body and daintily stepped out. I shivered in the cold air, and with shakings hands I pulled on the dreaded clothing that symbolized The Reaping.  
It was a sweet pink dress that flowed over my chest. It drew in at the waist and out once more to drift gracefully to just above my knees. If I spin around real fast, it flowed out beneath me like petals opening on a morning bud. While slipping into matching pink shoes, I ran my fingers through my hair, and pulled the usual side section back into a braid and clipped it out of the way.  
Darting up the stairs, I gently crept up to where Ria was sleeping.

"Ria?" I shook her softly. "Ria?"

She awoke with a start, even though I was as shaking her as light as I could. She always woke the same way every Reaping day. She didn't have to worry about being chosen any more of course, but she feared for me in the way any mother would for her child. Ria was more than that though, she feared for all the children. She thought the games were a terrible thing, and a terrible waste of innocent life.

Leading Ria down into the kitchen, I filled the tub with more hot water while she disrobed, and I eased her down into it. While I washed her hair, she sang me a song her mother used to sing to her.

_"O'er the plains, above the skies  
Long past the mountains  
Where the sun does rise  
That's where I'll hold you  
Safe in my arms  
And that's where I'll love you  
Safe in my heart"_

While Ria sang, I swayed around the kitchen, making a porridge from grains and oil. It wasn't much, but it was something. Sometimes I even sang along with her.

"Ria?" I asked.  
"Yes child?"  
"If I ever have children of my own…I think I'd like to sing your song to them."  
Ria smiled, her aged eyes twinkling.  
"I'd like that Lya. I'd like that"_  
_

My shoes clicked on the hard pavement as I walked towards the crowd that was gathering, ready to enter the town square. Ria was already in place with the elders, but I still had to sign in. I saw Madge a few people behind me and slowed my pace until she was next to me. She took my hand in hers, interlocking our fingers. I gave her a weary smile that she returned.

As we walked, I thought over what we had seen last night. All of Panem has gathered to watch President Snow make the announcement for the 75th Hunger Games. Ria and I had walked to the town square to watch it with the other townspeople who were out and about.

President Snow had come out on stage, making a huge spectacle out of a murderous event. He laughed and joked on television, and Ceaser had joked along with him. It came to the moment, and a young Capitol boy had brought a board of the Quell envelopes on stage. Snow made a deal out of pulling the 75th envelope. Slowly opening it, the crowed had waited in baited silence.

Snow smiled cruelly, and as he opened his mouth to speak, I held my breath too.  
"To show the true power of the capitol" Snow drawled, "and that all must bow before it, no one person of the districts shall be safe from the reaping these games."  
The crowd gasped, and then cheered. Of course the Capitol had cheered. It wasn't their children being sentenced to death. Except now it wasn't just children, it was the adults and the babies too.

As we approached the Peacekeeper who was taking inventory, I could hear someone behind me repeating "Breathe, breathe, breathe" over and over to themselves. Holding out my hand, the Peacekeeper pricked my finger and pressed the blood onto a card. Shaking it in the air to dry it, he nodded his head backwards, indicating me to move on.

After Madge was carded, we walked solemnly to stand with the other seventeen year olds. I was last person to turn seventeen in the group. Not that age mattered in this reaping. We were all likewise heading straight for a hellfire.  
Scanning the crowd, I saw Ria at the back, eyes straightforward and lifeless.

Slowly the square fills up the some eight thousand people of District 12, and as the swarm presses in on each other, you can almost smell the fear.

One the stage is Mayor Undersee, Madge's father. Sitting next to him Is Haymitch Abernathy. He's not as inebriated as he was every past reaping, I suspect Peeta Mellark has something to do with it. As if on cue, Peeta walks out from behind the curtains, his strong arms clenched into fists. He strides over to an empty chair next to Haymitch and sits.  
The clock in the Justice building looms upon as, and as it tolls upon two, each chime is taunting.

The Mayor steps up to the podium and gives us the usual speech. He talks about how Panem rose up from the ashes of a broken civilization. He talks about the districts and how District 13 stood up in defiance of the Capitol, and the result was The Treaty of Treason. Last, he spoke of the Dark Days, and how they led to The Hunger Games.  
Madge had reclaimed my hand at this part and was squeezing it rather tightly.

The mayor explains the rules of the games, and because this is a Quarter Quell, he once again re-announces what we all saw from President Snow last night.

"To show the true power of the capitol, and that all must bow before it, no one person shall be safe from the reaping these games."

As Mayor Undersee steps down, he invites Effie to step up.  
Outfitted in a bright orange dress suit, Effie rather looks like a carrot, with her green hair in tight ringlets. Her face is pale with makeup and she has bright orange lipstick on. Leaning down to the microphone, she says the words we all dread.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Her hair bobbed and bounced as she flounced on stage to the bowl on her left.

"Ladies first!"

She reached into the glass bowl filled to the brim this time with paper slips. Pulling one from the bottom, she held it up in the air, before reading it aloud. If she was expecting a cheer, she was going to be waiting a long time.  
Effie unrolled the curled paper and said in a loud voice;

"Ria Goldseen!"

The crowd was hushed, there was no cheering. Slowly we all turned to where Ria was standing with the elders, and as she started to hobble forward, Madge gripped me with both arms. Ria's eyes fastened to mine, and I knew what I had to do for my friend, the only women who had ever really cared for me since my mother.

I pushed Madge aside and as Ria made way to pass me, I stepped out and in front of the Peacekeeper leading her. Turning to Effie Trinket I yelled, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

Ria grasped me with her shaky hands and shook her head, eyes wide. I squeezed her hand and gave her a smile. She relinquished my waist, and I stepped out of the crowd and up onto the stage. The crowd was silent as I bravely looked Effie Trinket firmly in the eye.

"Well, well, hasn't volunteering become quite the rage?" Effie giggled. Her attempt at something cheerful was only nulled by the pain I saw in her eyes.

"And you name" she asked.

"Lya, Lya Redwan." I said, my voice unshaken.

I was surprisingly calm for someone who was surely sentenced to their death. My hands were cold and clammy, and I felt a nervous rash flushing up my arms.  
Effie left me standing there while she pranced to the bowl of boy names. Gripping a piece of paper, she once again held it up for the crowd before unraveling it.

"Alton Deston!"

I scanned the crowd, a task made easier now that I was on the death stage. I saw movement in the crowd and a young man stepped out. He was from the sixteen year old boys. Alton had copper hair and as he came closer, I saw he had gray eyes, like a storm that sits over the Seam. He didn't need a Peacekeeper to escort him either, he was making strong strides towards the stage, the mob turning to watch him.

I waited for someone to call, to volunteer, maybe he was too. But it never came. Alton reached the stage and he walked over to me. Up close I noticed just how big he was. He easily outweighed at least three of me, in lean muscle alone. I barely came up to his chest in height either. Effie walked between us, smiling like a mad women, and taking one of our hands in both of hers, raised them to face the people of District 12.

"Congratulations to your tributes! Lya Redwan and Alton Deston!" She sang.

The horde cheered half-heartedly, but as I listened, the sound of crying was rising above it.  
I felt my eyes sting, and shut my eyelids tight to avoid tears. Opening them, I glanced at Alton on the other side of Effie and he was staring at me, eyes full of pain. We stared into each others eyes until the crowd became silent again and I thought I might be okay until Effie said those words.

"Happy Quarter Quell!"


	4. Chapter 4: The Tribute Train To Hell

_Authors Notes: So this story is coming along quite nicely, Im glad people are following it! It makes me want to update quicker._

-

Lya and the Labyrinth  
Chapter Four  
The Tribute Train To Hell

I waited in the plush room. The curtains were a deep burgundy, and I couldn't help but imagine that they looked the same color as blood. Deep, flowing blood.  
I could hear movement outside and people speaking. Suddenly the door opened and Madge was ushered in followed by two Peacekeepers. They pushed her forward and exited the room, slamming the door behind them.  
Madge's eyes were red and swollen, she had been crying a lot.

"Oh Lya!" She sobbed and ran over to me, throwing her arms around me.

Slightly uncomfortable, I rubbed her back in soothing circles, hoping she would stop bawling soon.

"Its okay Madge" I soothed. "Its okay. I made the right choice. I mean, what was the Capitol thinking! Sending an old defenseless woman to a violent death! It's unthinkable. What I did was right Madge, it's not fair, but it's right."  
Madge sniffed loudly and nodded into my shoulder. Pulling back, she wiped her nose on the back of the sleeve.

"Im going to miss you while you're gone Lya. Come back soon okay?"

"I promise Madge, I'll do my best."

I pulled Madge into a close hug, after a few minutes we parted and with a sad smile at me, she left the room.  
I waited uncomfortably, smoothing and re-smoothing out my Reaping Dress.

I wonder if the Capitol is watching. I wonder if they see all the tears of loved ones and do they even feel the slightest bit bad at all?

The door opened again and in hobbled Ria. Her wispy hair was unusually tangled, and her bones were shaking.

"My sweet child, why did you do this?" she whispered, pulling my head into her lap.

"You know why Ria"

"Lya, Im so sorry. You should have waited, you should have done nothing. I have only a few years left at most…..you have your whole life ahead of you. You could have been so happy"

"Ria, I wasn't going to let you die in that horrible place. Im not sorry about what I did."

"I know child. Thank you"

Ria stroked my hair softly and sang to me until they came to take her away.

A peacekeeper came into the room. "Ma'am. Its time to leave"

"One more second, please…." Ria pleaded.

Im not sure why, or even how it happened, but he nodded and turned away.  
I sat up and Ria pulled a small cloth from her shawl. She unwrapped the corners and inside was a beautiful vintage hair comb clip. It was silver, and the band was encrusted with small colored pebbles. They arranged around the band to form leaves and flowers. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

"Ria!" I breathed. Ria smiled and leaning forward, she clipped it gently into my hair.

"It was my mothers. I was saving it for my daughter, but I never had one. If I had, I hope she would have been like you Lya."

And with that, the tears flowed, from both of us. We cried silently and held hands, until finally Ria had to pull away. With a kiss to my forehead, she left the room. We didn't say goodbyes, because they didn't need to be said.

No one else came to visit, so I sat quietly, alone until Effie came to get me for the train. Alton was with her, and his face was emotionless. All together, we boarded the train, and I felt so lifeless as I watched District 12 slip away from the station, and become a picture in the distance.

Effie gives us a tour of the train. She shows Alton to his room and he disappears quickly inside. Just down the hall is my room. I wave goodbye to Effie and unlocking the door, I step inside. It's even more luscious that I could have invented.

The room is large and plush, with velvet curtains on the far wall. Everything is a deep shade of purple. Straight in, to my left is a huge oak wardrobe. It has a computer panel on one of the doors and I wonder what it does.  
Stepping over to it, I put my hand tentatively on the screen, and it hums to life. I realize quickly that it will give me any choice of clothing I can think of. I scroll through tens of clothes, and finally settle for a simple black pair of pants, and a purple tunic, like the clothes I wear at home.

I select a simple pair of black shoes and finally a purple ribbon. Maybe if I look young and innocent enough, people wont want to kill me as easily.

Leaving the clothes hanging in the wardrobe, I move over to an antique dresser. On it are combs and clips, and a box full of what I find is makeup. That might come in handy if I end up crying a lot. Turning around, I see a giant luxurious bed.

Throwing myself onto it, I sink down into the soft, fluffy mattress. It is the most amazing thing I have ever felt! I wave my arms up and down like the children who make snow angels, enjoying the soft, silky feeling against my skin. I lay with my head under a pillow, pretending I wasn't alive until Effie came to collect me for dinner.  
Peeling off my Reaping dress, I kicked it away in disgust.  
I pulled on the clothes I selected from the wardrobe, and tying the ribbon daintily around my head into a bow, I slipped out the door and down the hall.  
I was the first one into the dining cart, except for Effie and Haymitch. He was in there, drinking away already.  
"Hello, Sweetheart", he slurred at me, raising his drink.

I smiled politely and sat down at the seat that was on his left, but I not so discreetly moved my chair away from him.

I dreaded making any conversation with him, and as if on cue, Alton sauntered into the cart.  
Eyeing Haymitch, he came and sat down opposite me, on Haymitch's right.  
Effie looked like she was very mad, she kept swirling a glass of wine in one hand while glaring across the table at Haymitch.

Alton started helping himself to the food in front of him and it was then that I actually noticed it.  
Before me were tureens of soup, pea green and meaty concoctions. There were dishes of roast lamb and chops of some kind, bowls of vegetables, marinated, in a salad and roasted. A basket was piled high with bread rolls and a hearty helping of butter rested next to it. My eyes must have been saucer wide because Alton looked up at me and burst out laughing.

I looked back at him and immediately I started laughing too. It was so nice to have the tension eased.  
The doors opening while we were laughing and Peeta walked in, smiling at us. Haymitch leaned over to me, sloshing his drink down his front.

"That's it girly, better to laugh than think about the death coming up" he hiccupped.

Immediately, all the light inside of me died, and the room went quiet. Peeta stalked over, dragging the bin with him. In one sweep of his arm, he knocked all the alcohol bottles Haymitch had next to him into the bin. Throwing it back out into the hall, he swept past Haymitch, jolting him and sat down next to me.

The room was back to its original tension and Alton chewed his food really slowly.  
Peeta took the opportunity to introduce himself to Alton and me. He shook Alton's hands but I didn't look up to see if his was extended out to me.

I sat looking down into my lap, thinking about what Haymitch said. He was right, we were all going to die soon anyway. Twenty-three tributes and only one victor. Why should I even bother training or making friends or anything? If I were only going to end up dead…I'd rather just do something I enjoy for the next few weeks like sleep.  
I played absentmindedly with the ribbon bracelet Made gave me for my birthday.

"Lya, eat something, its really good." Alton said, his mouth half full of some rich food.

I looked up and watched him stuff his face for a few minutes. All the food on this table could easily feed so many in the Districts. I wonder how many people starved so that this food could be here for us.  
My plate was moved from its spot and I looked up to see Peeta piling it with slices of roast and assorted vegetables. He set it down in front of me while Effie chattered on about our schedule and other things I wasn't listening too.  
Taking my fork, Peeta eased my left hand from my right and put the fork in it.

"Eat Lya" he said softly. "Please…"

I sluggishly lifted the fork and stabbed it into a potato piece. Putting it in my mouth, I chewed and I couldn't believe what I tasted. The flavors in my mouth were endless, and they definitely did not taste like this in District 12!  
Greedy, I tried everything on the table, while Alton and I joked and piled our plates. I finally pulled away from the table, stuffed and feeling a little queasy.

Alton made a loud groaning noise and leant back in his chair.  
Effie clicked her tongue uncomfortably, obviously our manners were atrocious to her.

"Well now that you're all done, Its time to go over the other tributes" Effie shrilled, and getting up, we followed her to a lounge room with a TV.

I sat down next to Alton on the couch, pulling my legs up to my chest. Haymitch toppled in and sat down in a chair adjacent. While Effie was setting up the TV, Peeta sat down next to me. He was so close, our arms were touching and I could feel his hot skin on mine. I was so sure he could feel me trembling.

The television whirred to life, and the symbol of the Capitol flashed on screen. Effie turned the lights off and sat down opposite Haymitch. As if I wasn't aware of Peeta already, the darkness made me sensitive to every movement he made on my left. Through my eyelashes, I saw his silhouette outlined in the light of the screen, his masculine jaw making my heart quiver. His broad arms touching my shoulders… NO! Focus Lya! I needed to watch the other tributes and focus dammit!

I zoned back in time to see the tribute for District 1 being called. No sooner was a name pulled from the ball, did someone volunteer. It was a muscly man with dark hair named Silas. A beautiful girl was called to stand next to him.

It was the same for District 2 and 3, strong careers volunteered before names were called. There was a young man called for District 4 that I could only really describe as a bronze god. The girl was young and slim, with mermaid blonde hair, which was wavy to her waist.

I kept waiting for the Quell to kick in, for some sort of horrible occasion to happen, and it was right on cue.  
An orange-skinned plump women pulled the girls name from the reaping bowl for District 5.

"Cora Hazelcorn" She calls loudly.

I hear the gasp of the crowd as a small child is ushered forward. My gasp is audible in the cart as I watch this small angel climb shakily to the podium. She can't even be more than 9 years old. I keep waiting for someone to realize, to volunteer, but the longer I watch, the more I realize its not going to happen. My eyes start to sting with tears and I feel my left hand being pulled into a strong warm one. Peeta is soothingly rubbing it in his own. Looking right, I see Alton is near tears. Effie gives a loud sniff and blows her nose loudly into a handkerchief she pulls from her bosom.

The tributes get even more miserable from there. District 6 wields us an old, graying man and a young girl with orange flame hair. From District 7, a strong tanned boy and a young girl with cropped hair. District 8 didn't far so well, the two reaped were a wife and husband. I watched as they pried their children from them and bravely stepped up to the stage together. This brought on a whole new round of nose blowing from Effie, and even Haymitch gave an awkward cough that I suspect disguised a cry of anguish.

A girl with dark skin and a young boy were called for District 9. For District 10, a young girl named Louise was called, and the camera panned in on a child of four. I cried aloud, but someone called Julia immediately stepped forward bravely. As if on cue, for the men her brother Clif stepped forward. Looking at them side by side, I realized they were twins.

"We'll have to watch out for them" Peeta said.

District 11 gave us two average looking youths. The girl was dark-skinned with short frizzy hair, and the boy had his head shaved.

It was now the moment I dreaded, reliving my own reaping.

I watched the screen as Effie pranced on stage and drew Ria's name from the reaping ball. I watched the camera zoom in closely on her face, the shock in her eyes. And then all focus was on me.  
I saw myself pull away from Madge and step in front of the Peacekeeper. The camera actually caught the surprise on his face.

I heard my voice volunteer as tribute, and I was pleased it carried strong and did not shake. Once I was on the stage, the camera panned behind me to see Haymitch and Peetas reaction. Peeta's mouth was set in a hard line, and Haymitch was more amused with a button on his jacket sleeve than who was in front of him.  
I looked away from the TV to glare at Haymitch, but he was busy staring into his empty glass, wishing it were full no doubt. Peeta leant forward and wrenching the glass from Haymitch, threw it onto a side table where it landed with a clatter.

Sitting back in his spot, Peeta retook my hand in both of his and focused on the television.  
Looking back, I noticed the camera was zipping through the faces of the boys in the District. Most had the same expression, solemn and hollow. A few were crying already, and some were even smiling! I soon realized why when the camera zoomed back to show Haymitch snoring away loudly. How did I not notice any of this at the Reaping? I must have been more shutdown that I thought.

Finally we watched Effie pull Alton's name from the glass bowl.  
Feeling him tense up next to me, I touched his arm lightly with my free hand. He took it in his massive one, his hand cold and clammy.

Irreversibly, the replay of the Reaping's was over, and we sat in silence as the Capitol symbol flashed on the screen for the final time.

"To bed, to bed!" Effie yawned loudly. "It's a big day tomorrow"

Stretching out my cramped legs, I gave Peetas hand a gentle squeeze that he returned and then let go. Alton was shaking, so holding his hand still, I led him to the door. Turning around, I waved goodnight to everyone, and with Alton's nod at Peeta, we left the room.

We walked down the hallway, hand in hand until we got to Alton's door. He let go and turned to walk into his room but I could feel him pause.

"Alton?" I said.

He turned around, my head barely coming up to his massive shoulders. I leaned up on tippy toes and gave him a hug. After a moment, he returned the embrace, his strong arms crushing my body.

"It's gonna be okay" I whispered, not sure if I even believed myself.

He nodded, his tears falling onto my shoulder, dampening my tunic. This just made my tears fall as well.  
We pulled away and he gave me a weak smile and through teary eyes, he watched me walk down the hallway and into my room.

Once in, I threw my clothes onto the floor and crawled into bed in my undergarments. Sobbing heavily, I cried and cried until I was too tired to cry anymore, and so I finally fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Something Familiar

_Authors Notes: SO! This chapter is in Peeta's point of view. I wanted to do something a little different, I wanted to show everyone his side of the romance, because it was beginning to feel like only Lya was involved for me._  
_Im sorry if the updates took a bit, I was studying for my one of my mid semester exams; chemistry. I did my exam last night so that free's me up until my Human Body one! I generally write the chapters in advance, like right now Im writing Chapter 7. I like to leave a chapter in between, just in case I cant do some writing, I at least have something set aside to give you guys. Hopefully you will also get Chapter 6 by tonight which is the chariot rides! How exciting. And without further adieu..._

_Oh, and quickly, this is continued on from Chapter Four, as if Lya and Alton just left the room._

**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter Five**  
Something Familiar

Peetas POV.

Alton and Lya left the lounge, hand in hand. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it still did. Lya had lived across from me for a few years now, and I enjoyed having something to look out of the window at that wasn't District 12. She was very pretty, with soft brown curls and dark eyes. The one thing that always made me smile though, was how small she was. She was barely 5'2", while I towered over her.

When it was just Ria living there, Dad used to sometimes make me take her bread and collect the clothes she mended. Sometimes, I would sit in her shop to escape my mother, and watch her hands work. She never told my mother where I was either, and I would slip back into the bakery near closing time when Dad was working.

Effie moved uncomfortably in the chair. Leaning forward with my elbows resting on my knees, I shoved Haymitch awake. He awoke with a start.

"Hugh! What?" He grumbled.

"You need to pull yourself together Haymitch" I said sternly.

"Why? What are the chances of a District 12 victor two years running?"

"Well not a big one if you keep believing in them like this" I retorted.

"This is a Quarter Quell kid, you haven't seen one yet. It's all going to hell once those platforms rise"

He got up and started to make for the door but I shoved my body between him and the exit.

"Don't give up on them. They can fight, I know it. I've seen Lya, she's a fighter Haymitch. And Alton's built so well the other tributes wont think twice before running. If we train them well, we can bring on of them home."

"It's the girly, isn't it?" He muttered.

I stared him down, not willing to let him win this one.

"Fine Peeta, Ill do this. But do me one thing okay? Don't get attached, its gonna end badly anyway" He sniped and pushing me aside, he left.

Effie cleared her throat, awkwardly, and got up out of the chair.

"I'll talk to him Peeta" She said softly and followed him down the hall.

I stalked off to my room, slamming the door behind me. I pulled off my top and folded it on the dresser. Climbing into my bed, I pulled the covers up to my chest. I was still fuming from my argument with Haymitch. I ran my hands through my hair and let out a sigh.

My room shared a wall with Lya's and the other with Alton's. Lya was the wall my bed was against. Through it, I could hear quiet sobbing and I felt my heart pain. How long ago was it now that I was where she was? Crying in a tribute room because I didn't want to go to the arena.  
I'd already made up my mind anyway, no more tributes from District 12 would die, not while I could do anything about it.  
I couldn't fight the Capitol with guns or weapons, but I could at least stop them from taking another innocent life.

I roused early, in a sweat and shaking. I'd dreamt of the arena again. Only this time I wasn't there. I was watching Lya on a big screen, helpless and bleeding. She crawled away from her killer, but he caught her anyway. As she turned, she spotted him and screamed, and that's when I saw it. It was me. I was the murderer.

I threw off the covers and stepped into the shower, pushing the assorted buttons. I washed my hair, maybe if I scrubbed hard enough, I could scour the nightmares right out of my head.

Smelling of some foreign flowery scent, I dressed in a simple blue shirt and black slacks. I made my way to the breakfast cart and walked through it to the kitchen area. Inside was an Avox boy, and he scurried out of my way. I smiled politely at him.

"I just want to bake some bread" I said calmly.

Uncertain, he nodded at me and darted off. He returned soon with a box full of everything I'd need. I thanked him kindly and went to work. Finally, something that wasn't new to me. Something that I was so sure of, I could make bread in my sleep.  
I kneaded the fluffy dough in my hands, rolling and flexing. Putting it in the pan, I dusted the flour off my apron and went out into the dining cart. Effie was in there already, looking slightly disheveled and pouring herself a large cup of coffee.

"Morning Peeta" She grumbled.

"Good morning Effie!" I replied a little too cheery.

"The children are still sleeping, I called them twice already. After this coffee, Im going to pour water on their heads." She laughed, and I couldn't tell if she was serious or not.

"Well, Ill go try if you like." I offered.

"Be my guest" She waved her hand toward the door and plopped down in her chair, coffee in a firm grip.

Untying my apron, I threw it over my chair and set off down the hall. Alton's room was first, so I knocked twice and when there was no reply, I let myself in. His bed was empty and I could hear the shower running.

Satisfied, I shut the door and moved on to Lya's room. I knocked twice again, but no reply either. Opening the door, I crept in. In the light of the window, I saw a shape in bed. Walking silently over, Lya was sleeping on her side, one arm under her pillow and the other folded gently over her chest. It was then I realized she was only in her undergarments under those covers. Blushing madly, I reached over and gently shook her.

"Lya?"

She stirred but didn't wake. She had slight bags under her eyes, surely mimicking the same ones we all had. I don't think anyone ever sleeps on this train, at least not well. Her hair fell delicately over her shoulder, and cascaded in curls over her chest. It was rising and falling gently. I had the urge to climb in with her and hold her close, let her sleep on my chest and feel safe and calm. But I was sending her into the arena soon, maybe to her death. This was no time to have feelings.

I reached down once more and rolled her over. She awoke, her deep brown eyes flying open. She looked up at me in surprise, a slightly hazy look on her face. I watched as realization dawned and she blushing madly, she pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Uhm, Hello Peeta…What are you doing in my room?" She asked.

"Effie couldn't wake you or Alton, and she threated to pour water on you. I thought I'd save you guys the trouble."

"Oh…well…thanks. Tell Effie Im sorry, Ill get up."

I nodded and looked around the room. The pretty pink dress she wore for the Reaping was scrunched on the floor. I liked that dress, it was delicate, and hugged Lya's curves in all the right places.

"Uhm, Peeta?" Lya called, snapping me back into reality.

"Hm?"

"Uhm..I can't get dressed until you leave" She flushed.

"Oh! Sorry" I laughed, and she joined in.

Chuckling to myself, I left the room and closed the door behind me. Alton was still in his room but I could hear him moving around. Satisfied, I went back to check on my bread. Pulling it from the oven, I carried the hot loaf into the dining cart. Effie looked up with mild interest and inhaled deeply. Smiling intensely, I cut her a nice thick slice and set it down in front of her. She thanked me and dove straight in.

Alton sluggishly walked into the dining cart, his head drooping.

"Morning Alton." I called. "Bread?"

Alton looked up, intrigued by the familiar scent.

"Sure"

While Alton ate his bread, I poured myself a hot chocolate. I remember the first time I tried it. It was the most delicious thing in the world, and this time was no exception.

I lifted a muffin off the breakfast tray and started to pull it apart, eating it piece by piece. Effie was pouring a second cup of coffee when Lya stepped shyly into the room.

I suddenly forgot what I was doing and I couldn't help but stare. Out of my peripherals, I saw Alton staring wide-eyed too. Lya walked over to me, the pretty yellow dress she was wearing swished around her legs. Her hair was pulled back from the side in its usual braid with the clip I had seen her wearing. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were stained a pretty pink. She sat down next to me and I thought I wasn't going to be able to move, I was entranced.  
She looked over to Alton, his eyes still trained on her, his lips curled in a smile.

"Oooh, what's that?" She asked pointing to the hot chocolate he was drinking.

"Its heaven in a cup" He replied. She got up and poured herself a mug.

Alton looked at me, his face suddenly stern and slightly intimidating. He looked from Lya back to me, and with a final glance, he went back to his food.

I reached over to the jam and spread it on my bread, ignoring him, until I felt Lya's hand on my arm.

"Peeta?" she asked. "Did you bake that bread"

I nodded and she shrieked "I knew it! I'd know it anywhere. I've only smelled it every morning for the last seven years. Can I have some?"

"Sure" I smiled and passed it over.

I watched her cut a chunk off and eat it right away.

"Its so good to have something that reminds me of home" She sighed.

"I know" Alton chimed in. "I miss them too."

Alton and Lya exchanged a sad look, and I felt an unsuspecting pang of jealousy.  
Just then, Haymitch walked in, actually smelling clean and looking awake. He sat down, cranky and grumbling to himself while he put food onto his plate.

"Morning Haymitch" Lya said sweetly, but sincerely.

Haymitch looked up at her, and mumbled a hello back.  
I shot Haymitch a look and he sat down sulkily in his chair. He glared back and we had a silent argument for a minute until he huffed and gave in.

"So kids, let's talk about that training." Haymitch started.

Alton's face brightened "Great, let's have it"

Haymitch sat up. "Okay sonny, what talents do you have?"

Alton thought for a moment. "Well, I've been in a few fights, I know how to handle myself. Im strong, so there's that.."

I looked at Lya, who was back to looking down in her lap.

"Lya?" I asked "What about you?"

"Well" she said slowly "I can do one thing useful"

She stood up and pushed her chair back. Quicker than my eyes could follow, she pulled a knife some somewhere in her dress and flung it straight at the painting on the far wall. All heads in the room turned slowly to look at it. The knife was lodged directly in the middle of the head of the man painted.

I smirked back at Haymitch who was sitting up with great interest now. Lya walked over and eased the knife out of the wall and slipped it back into the back of her dress. Ah, I see, she had hidden it behind the bow that tied the dress up.

"That's very clever Lya!" Alton exclaimed, getting up and turning her around. "I can't even see it anymore!"

Lya blushed a strawberry red. Haymitch grunted in his seat.

"So" he started "District 12 has a new fire underneath them do they? First this baker" He nodded in my direction, "and now a giant who could crush you in hand-to-hand and his tiny doll who could kill you from 50 meters no problem. These games are going to be interesting indeed"

"Right, well lets get to it" I said. "Do you want to be trained together or separately?"

They both chorused "together" at the same time.

"Great" I nodded "This makes things easier, and I think you are much stronger as a team. We need to work on angle though, something that will make the Capitol love you."

"Speaking of, We're almost at the Capitol!" Effie trilled, her excited voice reaching a new octave.

"Just one thing" I say to Alton and Lya, and I lean in close. They lean in as well taking my hint. "Let the stylists and artists do their work however they please. Don't argue. You get Cinna, and he's a genius. Trust him."

All of a sudden the train was thrown into darkness, and I knew we were going through the tunnel that's just before the Capitol. I forgot that Alton and Lya weren't expecting it because I heard a crash as a chair was thrown back, and a small yelp, and a soft hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder in the gloom. It didn't last long and the cabin was filled with light soon.

I saw the crash was Alton, standing alert in a fighting stance. Lya was still gripping me hard and I eased her hand from my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Suddenly her chair was thrown back too as she ran towards to window behind Alton. He turned around and rushed to press his hands up to the window too. I joined them and watched as we entered the Capitol in its entire splendor. It was really as magnificent as everyone thought.

I looked down at Lya and she looked up at me, her brows knitted in worry. Her eyes were filled with unease, and as she looked quietly back out onto the Capitol, I knew what she was thinking.

It wasn't long until the arena, it wasn't long until the 75th Hunger Games.


	6. Chapter 6: Follow The Light

_Authors Notes: So when I started writing this Chapter, I didn't expect it to end like this! I'd forgotten this was going to be an M story and just continued writing a little innocent Peeta/Lya fluff, but as I wrote, the characters knew where they wanted to be, and well, this is where it all ended up._  
_I originally wanted to do a sort of "desperate love". They've been flirting and doing this little dance for a while now, but death is knocking on Lya's door, and much like lovers who are being held by a gunman, or are on a sinking shiP, they want to love as much as possible in the short time they have, before death breaks the door down._

**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 6**  
Follow The Light

_And we are back in Lya's point of view.  
_  
I winced as more hair was ripped from my flesh. It feels like the games have started already, but Peeta said not to argue, so Im not.  
I had three Capitol stylists bobbing around me, one tearing the hair from my legs, the other plucking my eyebrows and the last one filing and painting my nails.

The hair puller was a plump woman called Octavia. She had bright hair like most in the Capitol, but hers was a deep purple and perky blue. Her skin was an unnerving shade of fern green. Venia was the other woman who was painting my nails a light shimmery color. Her hair was dyed aqua and hung straight as a pin to her shoulders. She had gold tattoos weaved intricately around her eyebrows, which personally I thought look amazing. Last was Flavius, a tall thin man with orange ringlets.

I cringe as more hair is shredded from my body, but the pain is slightly dulled by the fact that it's almost over. Finally they all step back and take a collective gasp to admire their work.

"Ooooo Lya" Flavius gushes in his Capitol trill. "You look much more darling now!" The others tweet in excitement and busy off to get Cinna.

I sit up, my skin raw and stinging from all the abuse.

"Hello Lya" A gentle voice said behind me.

I turned around to see Cinna, my stylist. Well aware I was completely naked, I turned red, which only went brighter as he circled me, inspecting.

He took a lock of my hair in his hands, his finger twirling around the curls.

"This is perfect to work with" He says.

He's facing me now, and I can see how smooth his brown skin is. He has gold eyeliner flecked gently around his eyes, and for a Capitol person, he is surprisingly low-key. He reached over and handed me my robe and motioned for my to follow him. Wrapping my robe tightly around me, we left the room and entered another one that was full of zip bags with clothes in them, and a dresser stacked with makeup and hair things.  
He sits me down on a plush stool, and perches on one next to me.

"So Lya, how are you finding everything so far" He questions.

I shake my head, "Im still trying to get used to it. Its all so surreal"

"Well, as you know, Im your stylist. Portia, my partner, is dressing Alton. We've been thinking about how to array you for the chariot ride. As you're from District 12, the mining district, it can make for a limited number of choices."

"I don't want to be naked" I blurt out. Anything but naked.

Cinna laughs gently to himself. "No, no, no. We're not going to do that, don't worry. You see, we want you and Alton to complement each other. He's so well built, we are going to make him the strongest of your pair, and the one the Capitol will fear. But you, dear Lya, are the real threat. That will come all in due time though, for now, we want to represent you as the support, the light guiding Alton to your joined victory."

Cinna leaned over to the tea table and poured two cups. Plopping a sugar cube into each, he stirred them, added cream and handed me one.  
I took the warm cup in my hands and sipped deeply. I rather enjoy Cinna's company. He is so easy to talk to, and so grounded.

I was dressed in a thin black leotard, it covered all the way to my feet and wrists, but plunged into a deep neckline between my breasts. I eyed myself in the mirror, wondering what their play was, and unsuccessfully tried to cover a little more of my chest.

Cinna puts down our teas and leads me over to a chair where he instructs me to sit. Brushing powder and other things onto my face, I close my eyes and try to sleep. Im still having nightmares every night, but Cinna makes sure to cover those sleepy bags under my eyes. While Cinna works, I hum quietly to myself. This is so relaxing without the tearing out of my hair, I'm quite enjoying myself.  
Cinna pulls me into a standing position.

"Close your eyes" He says softly.

I close my eyes, and I feel a strange feeling, like rope being wrapped around my body. The rope continues along my arms, over my chest and twice around my waist. When it gets to my hips however, I feel the pulling motion, but it doesn't touch me anymore. What could Cinna be doing? I wonder.  
I feel sensations, tiny pricks over my body where Cinna is clipping something in place.

He whirls me around, and I open my eyes. Im standing in front of the mirror, and at first I don't notice anything. I step forward and then I see it. What I thought was rope is paper-thin wire. It runs in twirls around my arms, and down my body. When it gets to my waist, the wire has been weaved into a coil around my body, forming a full circle skirt, which hits the ground.

Strung along the wire are tiny clear beads. My hair is down, long and flowing over my back, in its usual curls. Cinna has taken the top part and intricately braided it onto my head, with Ria's comb inserted delicately into the braid.  
My face is shimmering with makeup. My lashes and long and full, and Cinna has outlined my eyes in shimmery black.

Looking back to Cinna, he motions for me to turn around, and moves over to switch off the light. Instantly, I understand why Im in this dress.  
The beads are glowing, a gently throb of light like the lanterns we hang in the mines to lead the miners back up to the surface. I am the light that will lead Alton to our victory. Everything Cinna said earlier made sense now.

I was beautiful.

"One last thing" Cinna said and he walked over to me, his hand in a fist. He opened it and blew a powder into me.  
I was covered instantly in an iridescent gold dust, sparkling and shimmering in the dark light. I was light itself.

"Cinna" I breathed, "I look incredible"

"You do child" He kissed my forehead and taking my hand, he helped me into black heels. I swayed slightly as I walked in them, my arm gripping Cinna for support.

He led me out into the hallway and down into the bottom of the Remake Centre. Inside, is a giant stable.  
Im led over to where our chariot will be, and as I turn around, I see Alton making his way towards me. Alton is dressed as a miner, but this time its different from all the past District 12 costumes.

Alton is handsome, a tribute to be feared indeed. His muscular arms are bare in his torn shirt. Coal dust laces his black pants and miner's boots. Around his waist is a miner's belt, with a pickaxe and a chisel. He walks with ease, like they barely weigh anything. He isn't wearing a hat thought, and I already know why. He won't need light while Im next to him.

Alton reaches me and raises an eyebrow at my outfit. His eyes run from my hair and suddenly divert once he reaches my chest. He coughs, embarrassed, and I suddenly wish Cinna hadn't attempted a slight sexy accent.

We stand in silence, while Portia and Cinna flit around us, tucking threads in here, and primping there.

"Its time" Cinna calls and Alton climbs into the chariot.

Reaching down, he takes my arm and lifts me up with ease, his second up supporting my waist, and I step into the chariot, clinging to him. Cinna pulls me away and straightens some of the invisible wire.

The other Districts chariots are pulling away and I can hear the crowd launching into their cheer as the music begins.  
District 1 is ready to enter, they are dressed in pearly suits and a gown, glittering with jewels.  
I watch the Districts go forward. Eight are dressed in assorted fabrics, making a patchwork outfit.

Our chariot draws near, our horses as black as coal, a suggestion by Cinna I suspect. Alton takes me hand in his, I grip it tight and glance at Cinna, terrified. He motions for me to keep my head up, and looking forward, I lift my head as we enter the stadium. The crowd screams when they see me glowing next to Alton the miner. The scream our names, chanting and whistling.

Alton lifts my hand into the air, presenting me, his own personal light.

"Smile" He whispers. "They love you"

I try to act graceful as I raise my free arm and charmingly wave to the people in the crowd. I blow them kisses that they stumble over each other to catch and they blow them back. We stop in the inner circle, and I can see the other tributes turning around in their chariots to get a glimpse of us. The President steps onto the podium and begins his speech. Alton is smiling down on me and I cant help but grin back at him.

We do one more loop of the stadium, and Alton and I are last to exit, the cheers deafening.

Once inside the stable, Alton jumps from the chariot and lifts me down by the waist, swinging me around. We laugh and spin, until he puts me down. Dizzy, I misstep backwards, still laughing. I fall into a strong body and Peetas arms wrap around me, steadying me. I look up at his upside down face, still giggling.

"You were amazing" He says down to me. Looking up at Alton he adds "both of you"

Peeta gently stands me up, his arm tight on my waist. Cinna rushes over with Portia and they both congratulate us, shaking our hands. Effie and Haymitch are with them, Effie running towards me and running her long nails through my hair.

"You have to tell me what keeps it so shiny" she twitters.

After a few minutes of chattering, Effie suddenly shrieks, "Bed, bed! We must get you both to bed!"

She hustles Alton and I towards the elevator, Peeta and Haymitch in tow. Cinna and Portia wave goodbye, and take the second elevator to their own quarters. We all squished into the one elevator. It was a tight fit with Peetas broad physique and Alton's colossal one. My circle dress didn't help either.

Effie and Haymitch step out on their floor, but Peeta doesn't get off.

They look at him quizzically and he just smiles and says "I'm hungry."

Alton agrees enthusiastically and they chat behind me, but Im too tired to listen. I just want to crawl into my bed and sleep. The elevator doors open and the boys make a dart down the hallway towards the kitchen. I laugh and stop outside my door.

"Oh wait!" I call down the hallway, "I need help, I can't undo the wire by myself"

I walk into my room and kick off those dreaded shoes.

"Hang on, I'll catch up" a male voice calls to the other, and its Peeta who walks into my room.

I undo the braid that's on top of my head and place Ria's clip tenderly on the dresser. I weave my hands through my hair and let the braid fall loose onto my back.

Before I realize it, Peeta is very close behind me, his breath warm on my neck. His hands tingle as the graze my shoulder lightly. Slowly, his fingers pull at the wire wrapped around my body. Despite his calloused hands, he moves so softly and so slightly it sends tingles down my back.

I swallow nervously and I can feel my heart race fast like a rabbits. Peeta steps closer, his cheek brushing my hair. He wraps his arms around me, unraveling the wire from my waist. His fingers travel deftly over my hips as he removes the wire, twining it into a coil.

I turn around quickly and his blue eyes look so sweet and luscious as I stare up into them. My breathing accelerates as his hands are now over my thighs and he kneels down to unwrap the final stretches of the wire. He places it on the ground, his hands moving up my calves and onto my thighs.  
He rises slowly, his face inches from my body as his hands slowly weave up and over my sides.

His nose touches mine as he passes me, reaching his full height. My head is swirling with thoughts and emotions, and everything inside of me is screaming for this moment to never end. Peeta's eyes are twinkling in the glow of my discarded uniform.

He searches my face, and I know that even in the darkness of the room, he can see the flush in my cheeks. Even if he couldn't see it, he would most definitely be able to feel the heat radiating off my skin. He reaches one hand up and gently brushes my cheek, down through to twirl his hand in my hair. Looking down, I raise my right hand up and place it on his chest. His heart is beating as fast as mine.

Raising my eyes to his, Peeta leans in slowly, his lips only moments away from mine.  
The last thing I see is his blue eyes slowly close as his lips graze mine. I reach up on tiptoe to close the last of the tiny gap between us, and I press my lips to his. His hands catch at the nape of my neck and he pulls me closer. His breath is warm and sweet smelling as he exhales. He places many tender kisses on me before we finally part, my hands gripped to his shirt, holding him to me.

Our eyes flutter open and suddenly Im in the air, bridal style in Peetas arms.

He carries me to bed and places me down softly. Pulling the covers over me, he kisses me gently once more.  
Whispering goodnight, he strokes my cheek and Im lulled into sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Training For Failure

_Authors Notes: Sorry if this one took a while! This chapter is twice as long as the others though, Im eager to get to the arena. Only maybe two more chapters until the games begin! Oh yes, and enjoy the Lya/Peeta action. :D  
Oh, and thankyou for all the wonderful reviews! And to FanFreak2002 who keeps me excited to update often! 3_

**Lya and The Labyrinth**  
**Chapter Seven**  
Training For Failure

I wake up, hazy from a night of deep sleep. I don't remember the last time I slept the night through. The sun is high in the sky, so it must be around lunchtime. Im surprised no one woke me for breakfast.  
Sitting up in my new room in the Capitol, I finally get to look around. This room is much bigger than the one of the train; I still have a wardrobe, only much larger, and a new dresser. I step out of bed, still in last nights black leotard. Padding over to the bathroom, I see the coil of wire on the floor. Freezing on the spot, that's when I remember.

Peeta and I last night, the closeness, and the desire. I have no idea what happened; I don't even know why it happened! What if Peeta doesn't like me? What if last night was all because of the entrancement of the Capitol? How is he supposed to watch me leave into the arena, knowing I will probably die?  
Questions flurried through my mind as I stepped into the shower, pushing assorted buttons. One of them poured a gel substance on me that smelt like green apples.

I sat down the in the bottom of the tub and before I knew it, tears were falling from my eyes. I wept about Peeta, I wept about loving him, knowing I might never see him again. I wept for myself, and I wept for Ria back in District 12, she must be so alone.  
Although I loved having endless hot water, I miss the creaky old sewing shop. I missed collecting water. I think the thing I missed the most was a simple breeze, sitting up in the ancient trees, watching the District move below me.

I heaved myself up from the bottom of the tub and stepped out, dripping. The direct both my feet touched the mat below me; a warm wind blew up and dried me instantly. I looked over my body; I needed one of these in District 12 for winter!  
I placed my hand on the silver panel on the wall before me. Suddenly a current ran through my body, drying my hair and leaving it in a silky sheet down my back. I could definitely get used to this.  
I hastily flicked through the wardrobe, selecting a long sleeved purple sweater, black riding pants and knee high leather boots, just like the ones I had at home.

I slipped my knife down into my right boot. Weapons are strictly prohibited, but I felt naked without it.  
When I entered the dining room Peeta hadn't arrived yet, but everyone else was already there. Cinna, Haymitch, Effie and Alton.  
The room was extravagant; with three of the walls as windows, each overlooking a different part of the Capitol. Set out to dine with was fine china, decorated with happy dancing children. I snorted at the irony.

I helped myself to some sort of fruit soup. I'd never had soup that's made with fruit but when in the Capitol….

"Effie! Why did no one wake me?"

"Oh darling, we all had a nice sleep. Its been such an exhausting journey, we all deserved it."

I chatted happily with Effie about all the crazy things the bathrooms could do.  
When Peeta finally walked into the dining room, I was seated with a second plate of fruit and chocolate tarts. He smiled brightly at everyone and taking his plate, helped himself to the table of food.

Alton was making a Capitol man using carrot sticks, and proceeded to stab him again and again with his fork, much to Effie's grimace. I giggled at his carrot victim; secretly knowing we wouldn't hesitate to do the same to the man who invented these horrible games.

My attention was divided when Peeta sat down next to me, so close his leg was touching mine. Underneath the tablecloth his right hand is stroking the side of my thigh, gently. I glance over at him but he is very interested in eating his breakfast and make conversation with Alton.  
I sit staring at my fruit parfait, my neck flushing with red.

"Well now that we're all here" Haymitch started. "Its time to begin. I'll ask again if you want to be trained separately or together. "

"Together" Alton says with a nod from me.

"But what if you have a secret talent, a talent you don't want the other two know? You both can't be victor" Haymitch says darkly.

"You've presented us as a combined force." I began. "If Im forced to go into the arena, Its on my terms, and Im going in with Alton, no secrets".

"Well said" Alton smiled at me.

Cinna smiled. "Not all victors are winners, and not all who win are heroes. Don't let them choose who you are."

He looked at Peeta while he said this, and Peeta momentarily stopped caressing my thigh long enough to exchange a look with Cinna. I was really grateful for the long tablecloth right now.

"Well" Peeta began slowly.  
"We've presented you as a team, and I want to keep doing that. I think we should present Alton as the obvious threat, but our real secret will be Lya."

He turns to me.

"When training comes, I think we should keep your knife throwing a secret. We want to take anyone and everyone by surprise while we have the advantage"

I tune out mostly now, just enjoying the warmth of Peetas hand on my leg. His fingers make small patterns and a slight smile is on his face as we listen to Cinna and Effie discuss our outfits for the interviews. Suddenly Effie rises, clipboard under her arm.

"Free time until dinner, I have a lot of planning to do" and with that she left the room with Cinna who smiled at us.

"Well Peeta and I have much to discuss" Haymitch stands, raising an eyebrow.

Peeta gently squeezes my leg under the table and stands. That leaves just Alton and me now.

I push my chair away and position myself comfortably on the lounge, my legs tucked underneath me. I stare out at the brightly colored Capitol, still feeling the warmth from Peetas hand on my leg. Alton plops down next to me, his large weight throwing me slightly into the air. We both laugh and the tension is eased.

"Alton" I begin. "I know its not much, but Im glad you were chosen, you know, not in a bad way or anything.." I stumble over my words but he throws his hand out to stop me.

"Lya, Lya relax!" he guffaws. "Its fine. Im glad you were chosen too. I don't think I could go through this by myself."

I nodded, considering my thoughts.

"Lets make a promise. Lets do this together, as a team. You watch my back and I'll watch yours." I look into his brown eyes. His mother probably has the same eyes.

"Lya what happens when it comes down to it. I can't kill you, I just can't do it. They can't make me"

"Lets make a deal then. When it comes down to it, the final eight, we split. We say goodbye and hope it doesn't come down to the two of us. I wouldn't hold you responsible for doing what you had to do to save yourself"

He takes one of my hands in his own.

"It doesn't matter who makes it out Lya. We're not going to bow down to the Capitol. We can get through this, as friends, never enemies"  
I smiled at him, and clutched his hand.

Its after dinner, and Im sitting on my bed in my fancy Capitol room. The curtains are drawn and Im staring out over the Capitol lights. Vibrant in blues and reds, and all colors of the rainbow, flashing and glowing. I huddle my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around myself.  
There's a light knock on the door and someone enters behind me. I feel the bed slope as someone sits down behind me. A warm hand caresses through my hair and I smell the familiar scent of bread.

"Hello Peeta" I whisper, smiling.

"Hello" He whispers back.

We sit in silence, staring out on the Capitol, his hand trembling as he touches me gently. I slowly turn to look at him after a while, and his normally striking blue eyes are dull cobalt. I can see the sadness in them. He takes my face in his hands and gently kisses my lips. I return it softly, that same familiar blush tiptoeing up my cheeks.

He pulls back slowly.

"Have you ever been to the roof Lya?" He asked.

I shake my head, and he takes my hand and leads me out of my room.

The wind is whipping through my hair, blowing the curls into my neck. I hug my arms to my chest; the sweater Im wearing is keeping out most of the chill.  
Peeta's blonde locks wave in the breeze, his cheeks slightly red from the wind.  
Im holding his hand, our fingers interlocked.

I've been dreading talking to Peeta about the other night. Im afraid to let someone in just to have to say goodbye to them.  
Peeta leads me into a glass house. He shuts the door behind us and the sound of the wind is immediately deafened. Im mesmerized by the beautiful flowers surround me. Releasing Peeta's hand, I walk through the house, arms outstretched. I let my fingers run delicately over the petals, the feeling of silk was like heaven. I look up as rain starts to fall heavily on the greenhouse.  
The rain cascades down the sides like a waterfall, enveloping Peeta and I behind the sheet of water.

"Lya, I want to tell you how I feel" Peeta begins, walking slowly over to me.

"Peeta…" I begin.

He hushes me with a finger to my mouth.

"Lya, I was sad for a long time. I really did think I would never get over Katniss, and then one day I saw you. It wasn't long after I returned from the victory tour. I was dropping off bread to Ria, and you walked into the shop. That bell chimed, and in that second, everything stopped. I used to watch you sit in the window of Ria's shop, mending."

He was very close to me now.

"You're so pretty" He murmured, his hand reaching out to my face.  
"Peeta" I whisper. "What if I die out there? What if Im not coming back?"

"Don't say that," his eyes were pained.

"Why not?" I challenged. "You can't pretend Im not going where Im going Peeta. What if I die? What if Im just another Katniss, another heartbreak waiting to happen all over again?"

I was shouting now, angry at Peeta, angry at the universe, angry with myself.

His lip quivered. "Lya, I can't let you go without telling you. It all happened so fast for me. That day you slipped while fetching water, I was just walking by. I never expected you'd end up in my arms, and I never expected in that moment I'd fall in love you with. For the first time in a long time, all I knew is that I was happy. I knew I would be okay as long as I could see you everyday, even if you never felt the same."

He sweeps me in his arms and kisses me passionately. For minutes, we are joined together, his warm body pressed against my cold one. My hands are tangled in his shaggy hair and his tongue presses against my mouth. I part my lips and I taste the sweetness of cinnamon and sugar. Why did he have to taste so good?  
He pulls back and I lunge for him.

"Don't go!" I cry.

Peeta grins down on me. "Im not going anywhere Lya. We're going to train, and you're going to come back to me"

The tears silently fall down my cheeks, and I place my head on his chest.  
He crushes my small frame to his and presses a kiss to my forehead.

"Up, up, up!"

A voice shrills at me as Effie sticks her head into my compartment. I sit up hazily.

"Why is it so early!" I shout at no one in particular.

There are clothes folded on the end of my bed and I shower and dress in them. It's tight black pants and a simple black shirt with three-quarter sleeves and a V-neck. On the side are red stripes on my arms and down the outside of my thighs. On my shoulder patch, there is a red circle saying 12.  
I slip my knife into my boots as usual.

Today is the first day of training. I'll actually be able to interact with the tributes, which frightens me a little.  
In the dining room, I don't eat a lot, Im too nervous. Alton eats enough for the both of us anyway. Im comforted slightly by Peeta rubbing my hand gently under the table. I don't know why we haven't told anyone yet, but I think it's just nice to have something that's our own. Something not patented by the Capitol.

Effie leads us to the elevator while Haymitch and Peeta scurry after us, versing instructions.

"Don't do anything that shows off. Stay under the radar, scout who would make a good ally, stay away from the careers, unless they speak to you first…"

Alton and I enter the elevator alone, and just before the doors close, Peeta winks at me. I smile up at Alton and hold my hand out to his.

He shakes it and says, "Lets do this."

We stride with confidence into the Training Centre. We join the other tributes; District One is there already as well as two, four and seven. We wait in a tense silence for everyone to assemble and then the woman before us begins.

"My name is Atala. Welcome to the training center"

She marks off our names one by one and explains all the different stations.  
Im looking around at the other tributes, and I pale in comparison to most of the Careers. They are all well built, none so large as Alton though, which Im immediately grateful for.

Atala has stopped talking and the tributes are moving, mostly to the weapons stations.  
I walk over to the edible plants station, and sit down next to the old man from District 6. He smiles a gummy smile at me and we listen to the instructor. I practice memorizing plants for a while, but decide its best to move around.

I join Alton at the knot tying station. I can really only tie one knot, from when I was younger and used to throw a rope up to help me climb the old trees. I learn a few useful ones; I also learn how to set a snare, which Im pretty excited about. Setting a snare will be hard, but if I do it right, I could easily throw a knife. Even if I manage to catch only one person from a group, a knife would be thrown before they knew where it came from, and bam, one less person to fight. One less person who could kill me.

I know this is supposed to be the time I decide on who I want for an alley, but looking around, I know the Careers will automatically team. The old man from six would be no threat, and I pitied him. The wife and husband from eight would be a fight. I know they would be aggressive for one of them to return to their children. It almost broke my heart thinking that I'd leave their kids orphans. I was an orphan now, but I didn't turn out so bad because I had Ria. I secretly prayed that they had someone too.

Alton and I see the twins, Julia and Clif at the weapons station. Julia is attempting to wield a bow and arrow, but she has nowhere near the skill Katniss did last year. Her aim is wobbly and she doesn't thread the arrow quite right. Clif is practicing his knife throwing. Alton turns to me with a smirk.

"No competition" he mutters under his breath at me.

I wink at him and tie a tiny noose around my wrist, and using my fingers as legs, I pretend to hang the little man. Alton splutters trying to contain his laughter and turns it into a cough when some of the other tributes turn to stare.

I decide to move on to the camouflage station. I sit and listen to the man behind the desk for a while, something about prime colors and how to mix them. I started painting on my arm with different colors. I was going for a field of flowers, but at the moment I looked like I was covered in rainbow sludge.

"Pretty" a low murmur came from behind me.

I turned to see the bronze boy from District Four. He was leaning over my shoulder, his rusty brown hair falling casually into his eyes.

"Its not really anything yet" I say back with a smile.

"I wasn't talking about the paint," He whispers.

I stare up at him, one eyebrow raised.

"It's a shame," he continued. "Once all the old ones are dead, and that young one, it will be a smaller game. Everyone here is twice as big as you, even the girls. I hope you can run fast beautiful"

And with that he left me at the paint station, alone.

I didn't say another word all day until we were released from the training center for dinner. Once those elevator doors opened, I raced down to my room and shut the door behind me.  
I shed off my clothes as fast as I could. I wanted to get it all off me. I wanted to be naked, to be free of the Capitol. They were poisonous, infectious and killing everything they touched.

I climbed, uncovered into the bathtub. I started running the hot water and pressed different buttons until foam ran into the tub, filling it with bubbles. I thrust my arm under the water and scrubbed at the paint until my skin was raw and clean.  
I heard someone enter my room and approach the bathroom door.

"Lya?" Peetas muffled voice said through the door.

I ignored him. I didn't want comfort right now. I ducked under the water like I used to in the old rusty tub back in District 12. I lie there, beneath the foam in the wonderful silence that only this could bring.

My lungs burned, and coughing I poked my head out of the water. I wiped the water from my eyes to see Peeta inside the bathroom. I have no idea how he got in here. One hand was covering his eyes and the other was holding out a white, fluffy towel.  
I couldn't help but giggle.

"What are you doing Peeta? I didn't know you were one for shyness." I asked, a smile on my lips.

"I'm being a gentleman. You didn't come for dinner, so I came to you". He shook the towel in front of me.

I reached up and took it, wrapping it around my body. Peeta uncovered his eyes, and they drifted mischievously over my wet body.  
I leant down in line of his view and raised my eyebrow.

"I thought you were a gentleman"

"I am…but Im also not going to give up the opportunity to see your beautiful body" He leant casually against the bathroom wall, arms folded.

I froze. Beautiful. That's what that stupid District 4 boy called me. Peeta noticed the absence of emotion in my face.

"Lya?" he leapt from the wall to put his hands on my shoulders.

He shook my gently, and I was aware of water droplets spraying everywhere from my dripping wet hair.  
I looked up, tears falling from my eyelashes. Peeta crushed my damp body to his warm dry one and gently rocked me back and forth.

"Its okay, its okay" I spluttered. "Just, give me a second to dress, okay?"

Peeta pulled back and pressed a kiss to my forehead. He left the room and returned with my pajamas folded. An Avox must have washed them from last night and returned them. I thanked him and he shut the door behind him.

I quickly stepped into the shower and rinsed the remainder foam and suds off my hair. Stepping onto the mat, I dried instantly with the warm wind. My hair was easily managed with the special pad on the wall. Once touched, it was cascading down my shoulders in lovely spirals. I dressed in the pajamas Peeta handed, simple baby pink shorts, and a lace night top.

It was never cold in the Capitol. I suspected they controlled everything, right down the to temperature.

I dried my eyes and slowly opened the door to my bedroom. Peeta was sitting on the corner of my bed, chin in hand. He looked up quickly when I stepped out.  
I walked over to him, the towel slipping through my hands onto the floor.  
I crawled into bed behind Peeta, who kicked off his shoes and climbed in beside me. We lay on our sides, facing each other while his eyes searched mine.

Finally he spoke "What happened?"

"Its nothing. I just got upset over a silly comment."

"Lya." He said softly "Tell me"

I sighed and without looking at him, I focused on twining a curl around my finger and repeated the conversation I had with the District 4 tribute.

"That doesn't sound all bad" Peeta said when I was done.

"He's against me, AND he's aligned with the Careers Peeta. If he's against me, they are too. The only thing that's protecting me out there is my knives, and that's only if I can get them at the Cornucopia. If not, its just Alton. I want to go home, so how can I kill someone Im going to end up owing my life too a dozen times, maybe more? How am I supposed to live with that? Im selfish for even wanting to survive, because that's what the Capitol does. They take people with good hearts and put them in the games, they watch as they either adapt or die. I don't want to change, I don't want them to own me"

Peeta was smiling now and it made me angry.

"What?" I hiss. "Its not funny. Im sure its all fine and dandy for you…"

"No, no! It's not that. You just, well you remind me of something I said right before I went into the games. I didn't want them to own me either. No matter which way it goes down, you will always be sweet, little Lya to me"

He kissed me gently at first, then harder, forcefully. He rolled me onto my back, sliding on top of me. I shrieked when his chest pressed against mine. He jumped back, startled.

"Did I hurt you?" He exclaimed.

"No Peeta" I giggled. "Your shirt is wet from before"

Peeta looked down, his shirt was indeed covered in wet patches from when he hugged me in the bathroom. My fingers nimbly moved, gradually undressing Peeta button by button. I slid the wet shirt off his broad shoulder; his skin was smooth from a life of living in the merchant's village.  
He pulled his arm from the last sleeve and flicked his shirt across the floor. I leaned up and gently placed a kiss on his neck, his chest. Even though he was eighteen, his chest was bare. It must be something they do in the Capitol for appeal, and since Peeta was a victor, he would always need to look good. I ran my hands gently over his strong arms, feeling the muscle twitch beneath the skin as he held himself above me.

Running my hands over his back, I could feel the scars that laced them from when Peeta was in the arena. I kissed his collarbone tenderly and suddenly he gripped me around the waist hard.  
Peeta kissed my lips roughly, forcing my head back down on the pillow. His body lay between my thighs as he placed gentler kisses on me, seducing me. It lasted a long time, easily into the early hours of the morning, and I hoped no one noticed both our absences.

We didn't "make love" as my mother had called it, but it was nice still, being so close and intimate with someone I really cared about.  
He lay beside me, lazily running a finger up and down my arm, making me drowsy with enjoyment.

"Lya?" he whispered.

"Mmm?"

"I love you Lya Redwan"

My eyelids fluttered open just long enough to whisper back.

"I love you Peeta Mellark"


	8. Chapter 8: An Apple A Day

_Authors Notes: Sorry this is a little short, but I wanted to give you guys something seeing as its been a while! I was busy with Mothers Day and all the jazz, but now Im free to write as I please. Hopefully next chapter up in 24 hours._

-

**Lya and The Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 8  
**An Apple A Day...****

I spun around and brushed my long hair over my shoulder, closing one eye slightly, I pulled back, and with a flick, I released. Alton froze, and the breath he was holding liberated in one quick gasp, forming vapor in the cold morning air.  
The small clay sign he had throw into the air had been split perfectly down the middle from the knife I'd thrown, even before it smashed into pieces on the ground.

The sun hadn't climbed yet in the Capitol, and Alton and I had taken to rising early and practicing on the roof on the tribute building. We walked through the green house, Alton throwing the small clay signs for me to hit with my knife, and lifting the heavier plants in pots for training.

I descended slowly into the foliage behind me, holding my breath. Turning around, I saw Alton notice my disappearance and immediately tense. I circled around him, careful not to step too hard into the crunch of gravel beneath my boots.

My knife was still lying on the floor near the clay pieces. When Alton and I fought, we didn't use knives. I rounded through the greenhouse, my back pressed against the cool glass. Alton could take me down on pure strength alone; I need surprise to flank me. Pressing one foot into the knot of a nearby tree, I used the above branch to swing myself into it. The tree was a small one still, and I felt the branch bow beneath my weight.

Looking up, I saw the metal bars that ran beneath the roof of the green house. I bounced a few times on the branch, and with the momentum, I was able to quickly flip up onto one. I was high above the foliage now, and I could easily see if anything moved below me. I heard a movement somewhere to my left, and I walked like a dancer along the bar. Alton appeared from the brush below me, crouched down low to the ground. He walked with anticipation, his head tilted to the left, listening.

I silently prowled along the bar above him, my fingers clinging to the hard metal. Alton froze, and I knew this was it. I leapt off the bar, straight towards him with the intention to knock him into the ground. At the last moment, Alton spun towards me, his hands catching my waist and we both tumbled to the ground. Once landed, he flipped us over, crushing me. He was winded from the blow of alighting and I secured my place on top, holding him down.  
Through his coughing, he laughed.

"You got me little one" he growled.

I clapped my hands with glee, and climbing off him, I helped pull him to his feet.

"I cheated a little," I admitted. "I found a way to the top, I just hope there are trees in the arena. If Im stuck on the ground, Im not much use"

"No, you won fair. You found strength, and you played it. Im just glad Im going in with you, not against you" He smiled at me.

We walked down to breakfast together; yesterday was the second last day of training. Alton and I had been careful to keep our talents hidden, like some of the other tributes. The careers had no problem showing off, and I had made silent notes on who would be a threat and who wouldn't.

Before we entered the dining room, I saw Peeta walking down the hallway. I waved at Alton who entered and run to Peeta. He caught me as I leapt at him, spinning me around.  
With a quick glance around, Peeta pressed me against the wall, my legs still wrapped around his hips. He kissed me hard and passionately, his hands groping at my lower backside. With a last kiss, he gently placed me down, his hand sweeping to fix his messy hair.

I wiped the lipstick off his lips, giggling. He placed a sweet kiss on my temple and I started to walk back to the breakfast room. Peeta followed a few steps behind, and I ran my hands through my hair, neatening it. Just before I entered, I turned quick on my heel and winked at Peeta. I saw his blush rise, and turning back I headed for the food table.

Breakfast was delicious as always, but I needed to focus. Today was the scores for training.

Alton and I spent the rest of the early morning throwing an apple with quick pace back and forth, trying to throw one another off. Each of us got in a few good shots, making the other miss or drop the apple.

Soon it was time to head down for morning training. Haymitch had been staring quietly at us until now, and he rose less than gracefully.

"Hmpph" he grunted. "Well, good luck kids…fight hard, they haven't seen nothin yet, yea, focus and don't let nerves get ya." He was trailing off now, and Effie quickly stepped in.

"Good luck!" she sang and crossed the room to hug me awkwardly.

I patted her back while she leant over me. Peeta pried her from me, and with a small wave, Alton and I left to join the others for our last morning training. We refine our knot tying skills and secretly watch the other tributes as they practice extra hard.

Lunch is served, and I take my place at the giant table first. Normally all the other tributes stay away from District 12, but today I see a small figure sit down on my left. Alton is still gathering food, so Im left to engage with the small girl alone.  
I realize soon that it's the young District 5 girl, Cora Hazelcorn. The small 9 year old chatters next to me, and I tear as I realize she has no idea what's going on.

She doesn't understand we're all being sent to die, she doesn't know she probably wont be coming back. I pretend to smile and nod as she babbles about how yummy the food is and how big the pillows on her bed are.

She jumps a good foot in the air when Alton sits down across from us, she glances at his giant frame, taking it all in. Without another word she slips under the table and scurries off, reappearing at the other end. Her beady little eyes watched us from afar, but I didn't speak to her again for the rest of the day.

Once lunch was over, we headed down to the training center, and we all sat down in our chairs outside. The district one boy was called and he entered with a cheer from the other careers. He was egotistical and stuck-up, and I had no care for his attitude.

Alton and I sat hand in hand as the tributes slowly disappeared. When Cora entered, she gave a frighten glance towards me and I smiled encouragingly and gave her a thumbs up.

The lady appeared and called out District 12. Alton squeezed my hand and leaving the room, I was alone.  
I sat, my hands fiddling with the bracelet as I waited for my turn.

And finally I was called.

I stood up and walked tall into the training area. From what Peeta had told me, they were more interested in themselves then in what you had to show.  
I was determined to change that, make them notice I wasn't going to die for them. As I entered, I found Peeta was more right than I wanted him to be. They glanced lazily at me as I entered, and while a few of them kept watching me, most went back to eating or chattering.

I walked quietly over to the knife station, and looping a sheath around my shoulder, I went and stood in front of the dummies. I pulled a knife from the casing and before anyone could breathe in, the knife was imbedded into the dummies head. I grabbed a second and third knife, one in each hand, and with a flick they landed in the dummies heart and upper thigh, right on the femoral artery.

Without moving, I began again on the second dummy, next to the first. Easily without mistake, I took out four dummies.

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind me.

I turned and saw the majority of the Gamemakers standing to watch me.

I walked over to them, and one of them grabbed an apple from the table, he threw it out in front of me, and understanding, I took a knife from my sheath and flung it at the apple.

The thud as the knife hit the wall behind the Gamemakers echoed around the training center. A few of the females shrieked and hit the deck; afraid I was going to hit them. The only way that would happen is if I wanted them dead.

The faces moved from staring at the knife in the wall to lean over the table to see what happened to the apple. I didn't need to look down; I'd practiced enough with Alton to know it was split perfectly down the middle. Sure enough it was, the two halves gently rolling on the floor.

Plutarch Heavensbee, the head of the Gamemakers was grinning to himself.

"Thank you Miss Redwan" He smiled, and I nodded and left the room, dropping the knives on my way out.


	9. Chapter 9: When I Was Younger

Authors Notes: Im sorry I have been so AFK. I have been writing, and the story is coming along great. I've been planning for the arena, which takes time, but I want this story to be good. I know if its well written, it will be much more appreciated by those subscribed, than a crappy story updated everyday. You WILL have the next chapter tomorrow/tonight, dont worry.  
I also wanted to give you a bit more Lya, get to know her better.

**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 9  
When I Was Younger**

I leave the training center and head straight for my room. I don't really feel like being around anyone. It made me feel sick to my stomach that I was trying to impress those that were standing around, betting on us as we slowly died off.

I crawled between the sheets and pulled them over my head. I thought about Ria back in District 12, I wondered if they were sending people for interviews. I wondered if Ria would show her true feelings for these games and tell those Capitol people where to stick it.

When I was younger, my father used to take me into the square on Sundays. We would walk around the shops, staring into the windows. I remember looking into the window of Ria's shop and seeing a beautiful pink dress. It was soft and flowing and my favorite color. Years later I was going to be wearing that dress, not in the same way I ever wanted too. Years later, it would become my dress for the Reaping's, a symbol of evil in my once innocent world.

After the dress shop, my father would take me across to the bakery and we would stand in awe at the beautifully decorated cakes. Sometimes I would see a small blonde boy staring back out at me through the window, and I knew it was Peeta Mellark, but back then things were different. I didn't feel for him then like I do now.  
I would beg my father to buy me a cookie, and if we could afford it, we'd pick one out and take it back to mother.

I drew my knees up to my chest and cried underneath the sheets. I missed my family terribly. Every night before she went to bed, my mother would tuck me in and kiss my head.

"Goodnight my love, and I'll see you tomorrow" she'd whisper, and I'd fall asleep in the comfort that I was treasured.

This happened every night until my mother died. I was only nine when it happened, and where my father should have stepped up, he stepped out instead.

Suddenly there was no one to tuck me in, no one to love me. When my father disappeared a year later, I still lived in our old house. As a ten year old, I couldn't hunt; I couldn't sell or bargain at the Hob. I used to wake up each morning and walk to school with a boy called Eden Jaymit. His father was a miner like mine used to be. We'd walk home together, but we never spoke really.

For food I would eat the edible plants in our tiny backyard. It was really just a square meter of space, and my mother had turned it into a garden of sorts.

Together, we planted daffodils. I loved the pretty flowers, but mother would cook the roots that grew to make a soup.  
For a while I ate from the garden, making sure to try and plant daffodil seeds I found in the gardens at school.  
Most often I was hungry, I was hungry right up until the day Ria was walking along and found me.  
She led me back to the creaky old sewing shop and fed me a hot soup. It was the nicest thing I'd had in a long time. I'd stayed ever since.

One the day I turned twelve, Ria presented me with that pretty pink frock I'd admired so much when I was younger. It was a tad big for me, but she took it in at the right places.  
The first time I wore that dress, was to my first Reaping. I stood quietly with the other twelve year old girls as names were pulled from the reaping bowl. I watched as two children from the District walked on stage and disappeared behind the curtains.

I didn't know a lot about the games, my mother kept them from me, only telling me enough to know. I learnt about them in school, but I daydreamed a lot.

Ria kept the games from me as well, until I was old enough. For my twelfth year, we would head out with some of the other merchant area and most from the Seam to watch the games in the square. I'd never seen so much bloodshed in my young life. I was so sheltered, and I cried most nights after that. It nearly broke Ria's heart to have to do this, but she was trying to prepare me in case I was ever reaped.

The day Peeta Mellark was reaped, I cried too. The baker's son had always been so sweet to me, so nice. We weren't really friends, but I'd learned by then that District 12 tributes never came back.  
I watched as he announced his love for Katniss Everdeen, and I celebrated for him when she felt the same.  
It was only when Peeta came back a transformed man that things also changed for me.  
It was that silly day, my seventeenth birthday, where my heart finally fell into place, and every feeling I'd ever had made sense to me at last.

And here I was now, in love with someone who loved me too, and soon it wasn't going to mean anything. I wanted to come back; I would crawl across the bodies of all the other tributes to return to Peeta.  
I wondered if my mother could see me now. Would she cry, knowing what her innocent child was doing?

A warm body slipped into the sheets behind me and I felt Peeta place a warm kiss by my cheek. He wrapped his arms around me and drew me close. He listened quietly while I told him about my family, my father. I told him about my mother, how she used to sing to me.

After I was done, we were quiet for a while, and Peeta let out a shaky sigh.

"I never liked my mother. I loved her because that is the right thing to do, but I never cared for her much. When I was younger, she used to beat me. She did right up until I was reaped. When I was waiting for my goodbyes, she came in and told me District 12 would finally have a winner. She was talking about Katniss, she told me so. She never cared for me, never believed in me. Even a life in the merchants village couldn't make her grateful for everything we had that others didn't. "

"Im sorry" I whispered.

I was luckier than Peeta in some ways. Although he still had a family, my mother had always loved me. My father too until he went mad.

Peeta and I lay there for a while, hot underneath the covers. He kissed me so passionately I was trembling. I wondered if life would have been different for Peeta and I if I had never volunteered.

It was nearing dinnertime and I was so hungry. My stomach rumbled and I stood under the hot water of the shower while Peeta lounged in my room. I dressed in a sweet purple dress and let the pad of the wall take care of my hair.  
Peeta and I walked hand in hand to the dinner room, releasing as usual, just before we entered.  
Everyone was sitting in the room today, Effie, Haymitch, Alton, Cinna and Portia.

I sat down and helped myself to a delicious piece of meat and roasted vegetables covered in rosemary and rock salt.  
The flavors of the Capitol food danced on my tongue and I was glad at least the tributes had one amazing experience to take with them into the arena.

"So how do you think you went?" Haymitch asked Alton.

"Well, I threw some weights around. I don't really have much in the agility area, but at least they know how strong I am. I lifted a whole weight bench, so Im not too stressed" He kicked back in his chair and grinned.

Haymitch clapped him on the back and turned to me.

"And the little one?" He questioned as he raised his eyebrow.

"They ignored me mostly" I answered "Until I started throwing knives. I'd taken out four dummies easy when one of them spoke to me"

Effie almost fell out of her chair.

"They spoke to you?" She gasped.

Every one was staring at me now and I swallowed nervously.

"Uhm yea, they called me over. The one in charge threw an apple at me, and I reacted and threw a knife at it."

"You threw a knife at them?" Cinna exclaimed.

"No, no! At the apple, I split the apple down the middle. The knife went into the wall behind them"

There were a few _ooos!_around the room as I finished my story.

"Well, it seems like they liked you. Hopefully the high score wont paint a target on your back" Haymitch said darkly.

I nodded quietly; just glad it was almost over.

Effie dabbed at her face with a silk napkin.

"Well, its time to watch the scores anyway, so lets go see what all the fuss is about"

We all picked ourselves up and followed Effie into a large plush room. One entire wall was the television, a huge white screen. There were curtains on either side on the adjoining walls, currently closed, most likely blocking huge windows overlooking the spoilt Capitol.

We all sat in a long lavish lounge that spanned the room, and Effie turned off the lights. They show a photo of each tribute and then the score. The Careers each earn themselves an eight to ten, which is no surprise to any of us. Little Cora Hazelcorn pulls a seven, so I was secretly happy for her. The married couple from District 8 gained two nines, which made them both threats equally.

Alton's face flashed up on screen and then a number ten. Everyone cheers and Peeta claps him on the back. Then my face flashes up followed by the number twelve.

The whole room is silent and everyone turns to stare at me. My mouth is agape and I just stare at the screen even though the broadcast has finished and it's just a white rectangle now.

Im ignorant of Cinna and Portia patting my back and leaving. Im still completely in a daze as we all say goodnight and Peeta leads me to bed.

I vaguely remember a warm kiss as he tucks me in and gently rubs small circles on my back until I drift asleep.


	10. Chapter 10: Watch Your Backs

_Authors Notes: SO CLOSE TO THE ARENA! I can practically smell the bloodshed already. I have no idea how many chapters are left to this story, but I'd love to give you guys ample time in the arena. Its a pretty big one, and full of so much interesting stuff, I'd hate to do it injustice.  
Anyway, as promised, the next chapter.  
Oh and p.s. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the amazing feedback. Its greatly appreciated, and I love hearing what you have to say whether good or bad._

**Chapter 10**  
**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Watch Your Backs**

I wake to Effie calling out its going to be yet another "big, big day". Today we will have the day with our mentors to prepare for our interviews tomorrow night.  
I stand in the hot shower for a while, testing to see if it will ever go cold. I get too hungry to wait any longer, so I step out and get dressed.  
I pull on a long sleeved gray tunic. Its made of a warm cotton and reminds me of my old clothes. I pull on black tights underneath and worn leather boots. I take the side section of my hair and braid it back like I usually do, and slipping in Ria's comb, I head on to breakfast.

Alton is already shoving inhuman amounts of food into his mouth and Effie is wincing and trying not to look directly at him.  
I gently smack the back of his head as I pass to the food table and he just grins and winks at me.  
While we sit and eat, Effie goes over the itinerary for the show.

"Well, Caesar is going to ask you personal questions. Alton, he's probably going to want to know about your strength, with your high score and all.  
Lya, he's going to ask about your score too, but I he will mostly be interested in how you plan to go about the games, being viewed as the smallest and all"

"We need to work on your angles, seeing as you're being trained together, it gives us the whole day, rather than a split day" Haymitch says.

"First, we'll go over your persona for the interviews, and then Effie will teach you how to act, your presentation."

"What about training for the arena?" Alton asks.

"I want to try some hand to hand combat with you Alton" Peeta says. "I know you and Lya have been practicing, but everyone is much bigger than her in the arena, I want you to try against someone a bit larger."

Alton grins in excitement and makes a few pretend jabs at Peeta.

I roll my eyes at both of them.

"Any further than three meters away and I'd take you both down" I hiss.

They both just laugh at me and I make a mental note to get them back later.

My day begins with Effie in my room while Alton and Peeta spar. She strips me down and puts me in a full-length gown and high heels.

_"Alton doesn't need to learn how to walk in heels," _I think bitterly.

I strut back and forth, trying to mimic Effie's long strides. My legs are much shorter than hers so I cant manage as well as she does, but at least Im not toppling over. She practices a few simple elegant poses to sit in with me, and teaches me the proper way to fold my hands in my lap.

Finally Im allowed to shimmy out of the gown and put my comfortable clothes back on to go and relax while Effie talks posture with Alton.  
As I pass Alton in the hall I noticed he is sporting a few red marks from boxing. Entering the dining room, Peeta and Haymitch are chatting rowdily. Haymitch had been betting on the fight apparently, and was re-enacting it loudly.

Peeta had a bruise forming above his left eyebrow and a few scrapes on his knuckles. I just shake my head at him and curl up on one of the couches. It's not long until Alton and Effie join us, Effie tittering with disapproval at Alton.

She's wagging her finger at him and when Peeta comes into her view she rounds on him.

"You better hope Portia can cover up those bruise on Alton, Mr. Mellark" She says to him, her voice laced with subtle poison.

While we eat, Haymitch and Effie begin on our personas.

"Alton first. I think we will continue with our strong disposition." Effie trills.

Haymitch nods and adds, "Yea, if asked, talk about fights at school, about not losing any. We want you to be charming, appeal to the crowd, we want to get you sponsors."

I knew Haymitch was betting on Alton winning the games. Last year he favored Katniss, she got all of the sponsor gifts, until she died that is. Then he had no choice but to bet on Peeta. I suppose he feels I wont even last past the Cornucopia.

"Lya" Effie turns to me. "I you want to stay sweet and innocent. You can't play strong, or sexy. Those things will get you targeted in the arena."

"We want them to love you, play up on the adorableness sweetheart, but don't be childish." Haymitch added.

"We want them to sympathize, not pity you" Effie said.

I nodded and made mental notes.  
We go over questions Caesar will ask, and the appropriate answers to them. By the end, Im tired and my head hurts from trying to remember so much that I fall straight asleep once I crawl into bed.

The next morning, I've barely had time to eat before Octavia, Flavius and Venia are descending me into tubs of cloudy liquid to "cleanse me".  
I lie in them while one paints my nails a nude shimmer. They spend a few hours scrubbing at my skin, erasing any scars and callouses I'd acquired during training.

Im allowed to step out of the tub and wrap myself in a warm robe so they can fix my hair and makeup.

My hair is dried and falls in a silky sheet, ending in its usual curls. They weave shimmery ribbon into the base of my neck, and braid it into a section of my hair, which they wrap around my head like a headband. It's like wearing a crown of beautiful hair, and I hope I can recreate it on my own.

Cinna enters to do my makeup. My face is dusted with white powder, and Cinna paints a pale pink flush onto my cheeks and lips. He gives me long, glamorous lashes and sweeps my cheeks with a glittery powder.  
In the mirror I look young and innocent, but I also look proud and strong. Cinna does his work well.

Behind me is my dress, but I can't see it because it's still inside its bag. My eyes are covered by one of the assistants and I feel the sensation of silk falling softly over my naked skin. Venia steadies me as I slip into a pair of heels, bringing the length of the dress just to hit the floor. A few adjustments are made at my waist, and the dress is drawn in.

"Open your eyes" Cinna whispers.

I open my eyes and at first I don't recognize the girl standing before me.  
She is beautiful, like a true victor of the games. Cinna has transformed me exactly as I needed.  
My dress is a strapless sweetheart neckline. I have eaten so well these past weeks, the dress fills out nicely in the bust region. I actually have a womanly figure now compared to the skinny girl I came here as.

The dress is a deep coal back, and flows like air down to the ground. I turn to see the back, and the material swishes delicately in the air and that's when I notice all the tiny sparkles imbedded in the material. Im not coal, Im more like the evening sky. I looked like a thousand sparkling stars at nighttime.

Alton was dressed similarly. He was in a smart black suit, with a more subtle shimmer to it. His gray eyes, like so many in the Seam, were sparkling tonight, eager to show off.

We make our way to the elevator, prep team in tow, fussing here and there over small details. When the doors open, we step out to take our place in line with all the other tributes. We are told to sit in our chairs, the twenty-four of us making an arc around the stage behind Caesar. This way, the cameras can watch us at all times, and so can the audience.

The crowd is whispering and pointing, and a few tributes are blowing them kisses, already playing in their favour.

Caesar Flickerman bounds into the stage, his unchanged face smiling and waving at everyone. This year he has died his hair a deep gold, and he wears gold eyeliner and lipstick to match. His shoes are black and kind of pointy at the ends. I think they look ridiculous and I just hope I don't accidentally say that when I get up there. His suit is the same every year, a sparkly blue one, embedded with tiny lights making it glow and glisten.

The cameraman does a silent countdown and suddenly the crowd is hushed and Ceaser begins.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the 75th Hunger Games! My, my, what a lovely crowd we have here tonight" he gushes, and the crowd eats it up, cheering for him and calling his name.

Caesar makes an embarrassed gesture and moves to introduce the male from District 1. His name is Silas, and he is dressed in a ridiculous green suit, probably the fashion for the Capitol, because the crowd ooos and ahhhs as he steps up. His dark hair is carefully messy and he casually flicks it back as he chats to Caesar. He is confident and egotistical, and I can feel my face scrunching in repulse at him until I catch Cinna's eye, and he is giving me a sign to smile. I immediately lapse into a innocent grin and Cinna nods approvingly.

The buzzer goes off and the girl from One takes her place. She's dressed in a shimmery green dress to match Silas's suit, and its very revealing. I have no problem seeing the entire outline of her body. Her angle is sex appeal no doubt. I could never have pulled that off.

The tributes one by one take their place with Caesar. I learn the bronze god from District 4 is called Lyle, and he's in a shimmery blue suit that looks like the ocean. His play is charming and likeable, and the crowd is sad to see him go.  
His partner, Etta has mermaid blonde hair to her waist, and she's been dressed as such. She has a shiny green skirt that falls in sections, made to look like scales. Around her chest, a blue sheer fabric is delicately knotted. I can't stop staring at how beautiful she looks, and I notice that most of the boys in the audience are struck too. I'm not fooled though, I know its all a ploy. All of this is a game.

Little Cora from five walks shakily to sit next to Caesar. She's dressed innocently, in a soft pink dress, little frilly white socks and pink shoes. I know they are hoping everyone will leave her alone, but I know the Careers better than that. Cora wont be going home.

Caesar talks sadly with the old man from District 6, but makes a point that this is a Quell and the Capitol is doing us a favor really, that we are just paying our price. Although the words are coming from his mouth, I can tell he doesn't really believe them.

The wife and husband from eight make everyone tear. They talk about their children and how much they miss them. They have no fear in letting everyone know they plan to make it back to them.

Set, the boy with the shaved head from District 11 is cocky. He openly chats about how well he did in training and how his score was no surprise.

And then its Alton's turn, he walks smoothly to the stage and takes his place.  
"Hello Alton, welcome!" Caesar greets him whole-heartedly. Alton shakes his hand firmly and sits on the couch.  
'Well, well, aren't you a large fellow?" Caesar jokes, and its true. Caesar looks like a boy sitting next to Alton, who easily towers over him. The crowd laughs, and Caesar leads them in a cheer.  
Alton laughs a hearty laugh and pats Caesar on the back.  
They chat a while about home, how Alton misses his mother. His father isn't in the picture, and I didn't know that. In fact there's a lot about Alton I didn't know. We never talked about it, I guess it was easier that way. The less we knew, the easier it would be if we had to kill each other.

"So Alton, tell me about training, how did it go?"

"Oh it was easy" Alton says casually "Nothing I couldn't handle" and he flexes nonchalantly as he leans back. The girls in the crowd are having hysterics and even the girl from District 2 is eyeing him and she turns to me and winks.

"Tell me, is there a special girl back home" Caesar winks at Alton and encourages the crowd to shout, "tell us, tell us!"

Alton chuckles and shakes his head.

"Oh c'mon!" Caesar urges "Surely there's something between you and your fellow tribute"

The camera pans to me, and thankfully I still have my innocent façade planted on my face.

"Haven't you noticed just how lovely she is?" Caesar says sneakily and the crowd cheers in response.

Alton smiles "Oh yes, she is a stunning creature, and we're very close but only as friends"

"And you'll protect her in the arena yes?" Caesar smiles.

"Oh I don't think I need to worry about that" Alton grins mischievously.

"Oh?" Caesar says, delighted, and he leans closer to Alton like it's a secret.

Alton leans in too, holding the dramatic pause.

He finally whispers "All Im going to say is, watch your backs"

The camera pans to me for my reaction, and I have a smile on my face that hints I have a secret. The crowd is eating it up, and Im just hoping this is sponsor-worthy.

The buzzer goes off and the crowd boo's. They wanted to know more of the secret. Alton heads back to his seat and I hop off my chair and try and glide gracefully towards Caesar. He kisses my hand sweetly and helps me sit next to him.

"My dearest, how are you finding the Capitol?"

I remember Haymitch muttering about sponsors and sucking up.

"Oh Caesar, it's beautiful! So bright and colorful" _It's a shame the habitants are awful, awful people. I thought bitterly._

"And you!" Caesar gestures to all of me. "Look at this lovely dress!"

He stands me up and spins me, the dress flying out and shimmering like the night sky. The audience makes noises in awe and applauds.

"I owe it all to Cinna" and I gesture towards him "He's a genius"

Cinna smiles politely at the camera zooming in on him but never takes his eyes off me.

"Now Lya, tell me about your Reaping. You volunteered to save someone. It seems to be quite the trend in District 12."

"More of a trend in love" I say tersely.

Caesar nods like he understands, but he doesn't. He couldn't possibly understand the hurt, the starvation, the loneliness of living in a District.

"Who did you volunteer for, was that your mother?" He's asking me in a voice that sounds sympathetic, but I know its all for the cameras.

I decide now's the time to play it for the camera's too.

"No" I say and I make my voice choke a little "My mother died a long time ago"

The audience cries aloud and sniffs are heard.

"Oh that's terrible" Caesar says, and whips a handkerchief from his pocket to pretend dab at his eye.

"It's okay though. The woman was Ria, she's my caretaker, and my closest friend,"

"That's nice my dear, but tell me more about this secret threat you are" He leans in close like he did with Alton.

I lean in too, mimicking Alton's dramatic pause.

"Oh dear Caesar" I say melodramatically, "How can I win if I tell my enemies now exactly how to defeat me?"

"Oh yes of course, of course!" And he glares around at the other tributes.

"I don't suppose the Gamemakers can shed some light?" And he looks up hopefully at the balcony they're sitting in. The camera pans up with them on Plutarch Heavensbee, head Gamemaker.

He just smiles and says "Let me tell you, with little Lya Redwan, these games wont be boring"

The crowd goes wild and the buzzer goes off.

Caesar brings me in for a hug and whispers in my ear "Good luck Lya, Im betting on you"

Over his shoulder, I give a thankful look to Plutarch Heavensbee who nods back at me.

Thanks to him, Caesar and Alton, I was a big threat for the 75th Hunger Games, and I wanted everyone to know I wasn't going down without battle.


	11. Chapter 11: The Night Before The Arena

Authors Notes:  
**WARNING: This chapter contains ADULT CONTENT. If you are uncomfortable with this, you can skip it and not miss much except the goodbyes to Effie, Haymitch and Peeta and the replaying of the interviews. This isn't a necessary chapter to the basic storyline. It is more character development and for entertainment purposes only.**

_This chapter is rated M, because there is a sexual scene between Peeta and Lya. I mean it's the night before the games, so how can they not consummate their love? Anyway, I wanted to write it tastefully, I wanted a well-written erotica, not some pornographic scene. Im old fashioned so I don't believe sex should be taken lightly, nor just thrown in anywhere. But enough of my morals, please enjoy the story._  
_Oh, and I decided to write a small part in Alton's POV, and the final goodbye between Peeta and Lya in Peeta's POV. As the arena goes, you will see a few more of their POV's as well._

I normally dont ask for reviews, but Im nervous about this chapter, understandably. So can you guys let me know how it is? Did I write it okay? I've written this sort of stuff before, but never for an audience, and I'd hate to disappoint, so some feedback would be wonderfully helpful. 

* * *

**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 11**  
**The Night Before The Arena**

The camera shut down and we all filed off the stage. The tributes merge towards the elevators, and Alton is behind me. Im first in, followed very closely by Alton. The boy from District 1, Silas, enters, along with Hunter, the boy from 2 and Lemuel, the boy from 3. The Careers lean casually against the wall as the doors close, trapping us inside with them.

Silas leans close to me "So Lya, what are your secrets?" he whispers seductively.

I just smile at him and turn away; I don't care much for his amusements and Im not about to become any less private than my interview allowed me to be.

He reaches a hand out and gently strokes up my arm but before he gets even halfway, a huge body is pressing me against the wall, and I realize Alton has stepped between us and is blocking me from view.

He towers over Silas easily, so he leans down and murmurs in a threatening voice "Touch her again, and I wont wait for the arena to kill you"

Silas takes an uneasy step back, despite being flanked by Hunter and Lemuel. Im not surprised, Alton could take all three with one arm.  
I peek out from behind Alton's back and Silas's eyes meet mine. They're a deep green; like the apples that grow in District 11. He stares into me until the elevator chimes, signally the floor has been reached, and Alton flexes uncomfortably.

Silas didn't need to say anything for me to know what he was thinking. _"Just wait"_ his eyes said. _"Just wait till there's no one to protect you"_

When the doors opened, the mentors for Districts 1, 2 and 3 were waiting with the girl tributes.  
They all must've taken a second elevator together. Silas and his two thugs get off, with one last glance back to me.  
Alton and I are alone in the elevator and he turns back to me.

"I know we're putting up pretenses and all, but I want you to know, I will protect you, I promise this."

"You're a good friend Alton" I say warmly and I take his hands in mine. "I'll watch your back, I promise too".

I smile up into his grey eyes, grey like the ash after a fire has burned out. That's all we are, we're all just fires, glowing bright with fuel. How long can we burn strong? How long until we are all nothing but dim embers like the coal inside the mines back home?

I let out a heavy sigh and lean into Alton. He is the only person who understands right now, the only person who, tomorrow morning, will have my trust. Even thought I wanted to live, I hoped with all my heart that if I didn't make it, he would.

The doors opened to our floor, and everyone was waiting for us. Alton and I pull apart slowly and Effie has had too much wine because she is giggling ridiculously at our embrace and elbowing Peeta whose eyebrows are knitted with a frown.

We walk towards the dinging room for our final dinner. Effie was congratulating me on sitting like a lady, and controlling most of my facial emotions, and Peeta and Alton were chatting quietly in front of us.

I sit quietly and eat in small bites. The mood in the room for me is void of any happiness. Haymitch is sitting, cranky and sober glaring at Effie's empty wine glass. Effie is chatting with Portia, loudly, and the hiccup often. Cinna, Alton and Peeta are eating heartily, enjoying the delicious Capitol spread.  
Im still in the elegant ball gown, and I absentmindedly swish the skirt with my hand, entranced by the tiny diamonds. Alton leans across the table and rubs my hand gently with his and I smile sadly at him. He reciprocates with a pained smile of his own.

Suddenly Peeta jumps up. "Effie, aren't the replays soon?" he announces.

A frazzled Effie nearly leaps out of her chair. "Oh my goodness, yes! How silly of me! Come on everyone, lets go watch"

Sitting down inside the lush lounge, I curl into a ball. Even though I'd won a victory tonight with my upkeep of mysteriousness, it felt like these games would never end. Even if I won, even if I went home, the games wouldn't end. I'd be reliving them for the rest of my life. I'd heard Peeta some nights though the thin walls, the terror, the screaming.  
No one ever really walks away from these games.

The interviews start, and I watched all the personalities. Giggly, sexy, strong, proud, fearless, tough, heroic… they go on and on. The only people who don't need to stand out are the young and old, Cora, the old man, and the married pair. The Quell did a good enough job of singling them out on its own.

We watch Alton's interview, and I turn to smile at him. He looks so brave, and I only hope I was convincing enough in my own right.  
My interview runs a little less smooth, but the audience clearly favors me. I can actually see all the reactions to my answers, and Im pleased to know that everyone looks convinced about my "secrets".

We will leave early for the arena. The Capitol citizens are lazy, so the games won't start until ten, but we might have to travel far to the arena, so Effie wants us in bed as soon as possible. Haymitch, Peeta and Effie aren't coming with us. In a few hours, they will leave for the Games Headquarters, to sign us sponsors and prepare our gifts.

Cinna and Portia will travel with us to dress us, but I dread the thought of leaving Peeta behind. Right now, I feel a little numb to everything, like its all a hazed dream, and I'll wake up on my thin, old mattress on the floor in Ria's shop, and everything will be okay.  
If only.

The goodbyes would be said now, as by the time Alton and I should be asleep, they would leave. Effie kissed both my cheeks and hugged me tightly. She smelled of wine and jasmine flowers.

"Good luck darling," she said and she started to tear up.

She pulls Alton in for a hug and wishes him luck too.  
Haymitch steps forward and shakes Alton's hand strongly. He says a few words to him and turns to me.

He looks right down on me and gruffly says, "Stay alive sweetheart".

I put my hand out and he shakes it gently and I mouth _thank you_quietly.

Peeta walks with both of us to our rooms, and I know why. We both want a more private goodbye.  
We stop outside Alton's door and he shakes Alton's hand. Alton claps him on the shoulder and they both grin at each other. I think they could have been good friends if fate hadn't of intervened.

"Stay together" Peeta says. "During the countdown, make note of your surroundings. Last time, Katniss and I were on opposite sides of the Cornucopia, so we were separated. If that's the case for you as well, make a plan, like head north until you meet up. The minute the buzzer goes, if you can make it to the Cornucopia, do it, but don't die trying. Otherwise, make a dash for the nearest coverage. First, find water, plan food, and make camp. Always keep an eye out, and always keep watch. Set snares, traps, anything to alert you to someone coming near."

Peeta is getting a little emotional, because I can see his eyes are turning red and welling up a little.  
Alton nods and he puts a hand on one of Peeta's shoulders.

"Lya give us a moment, okay?" Alton turns to me.

I nod and turn on my heel to my bedroom.

"I'll come say goodbye in a moment" Peeta says after me.

**Alton's POV.  
**  
Lya disappears into her room and Peeta turns back to me. His face is calm now, and his eyes are hard and cold.

"Watch out for her" he says stiffly.

"I know" I reply. "I know about you. Im not a fool Peeta, I see the way she looks at you."

Peeta nods thoughtfully. "Then you know I'll be watching. Don't you let her die Alton."

I take a deep breath. "Lya's like a sister, like a friend. I love her too Peeta, don't make the mistake of thinking you're the only man who cares about her. I'll bring her back to you. Im not going to promise I will, but if it's in my power, she will come back. I can only promise that much."

Peeta swallows and looks directly at me.

"Good luck Alton, part of me genuinely hopes you'll win."

"But you also hope I don't" I laugh and shove him lightly.

The strain is dismissed from us both, and with a final smile and a pat on the back, Peeta leaves to say goodbye to Lya.

I watch him disappear into her room, and turning on the both of them, on all the Capitol, on everything I want to forget, I disappear into my room, under the sheets, and into a dark sleep.

Peeta's POV.

I open the door quietly and step inside. Lya is sitting by the window, her soft curls falling romantically down her back.  
Candles are lit across the room, and I wonder if it was her or the Avox that did that. I cross the room, taking a deep breath and run my fingers gently through her hair.

I wanted tonight to be special, I wanted more time. I wanted the first time I loved Lya to be in our house, making our first child. We'd have performed the bread ceremony, surrounded by friends and family, and our lives would be happy and magical.

Nothing is ever happy and magical, and the story never ends the way you want it too.

When Katniss and I lay together the night before we went into the arena, we mostly talked. Our relationship was never very physical, and even in that night, I didn't want that. Not like now, not like the way I do with Lya. I'd never experienced being so close to someone, being inside of their body and their soul.

I softly kiss the top of her head and Lya smiles up at me. She stands to meet me and she disappears into the darkness of the room. Her dress is so much like the night sky outside the window behind her. Her deep brown eyes, like twinkling stars themselves in the candlelight smiled at me.

I buried a hand at the nape of her neck and kissed her lips deeply. While we kissed, her hands ran through my hair. I cautiously opened my mouth in the kiss, and was immediately presented with her tongue gently grazing mine. Her mouth was so sweet, so pleasant.

I could feel her hands fumbling with the buttons on my suit jacket, and I shrugged it off, only to have her continue her exploration with the buttons on my shirt. Successfully, it dropped to the floor. My hands travelled over her waist to her hips. Getting a good grip on her behind, I hoisted her into the air, her legs around my waist and her hands tangled around my neck.

I walked with her over to the bed, and set her down just before it even though our lips hadn't really parted since we began. I kicked off my shoes and she laughed through the kiss as I stumbled.

My hands danced at the back of her dress, and I found the zipper that was holding it up. She tensed and I could feel her trembling in my arms. I paused and sensing my hesitation she looked into my eyes.

"Im okay" she whispered, "just nervous. I've never done this with anyone."

"Me either" I whispered back.

"I wish I knew what was going on inside that pretty head of yours," I say.

"I'll show you" she says playfully, and guides my hands up to the back of her dress again from where they'd dropped to her waist.

She kisses me, deepening the caresses as I slowly pull the zipper down and let the gown fall to the floor.

My hands are quivering as they touch over her naked back, and she pulls away momentarily to sit on the bed, one arm embarrassingly covering her chest. I lean in over her, kicking my pants off. I kiss her softly, and we both slide down under the covers, protected from the chill of the night air.

I gently embrace her neck with my lips and she bites me playfully on the shoulder. Im lying beside her, facing each other, the blanket drawn to her chest.  
She moves close to me, and presses her naked torso against mine. I feel the thump of another heartbeat on my chest.

She pulls away a little, and looking into my eyes, she guides one of my hands onto her breasts. It's the first time I've ever touched a woman's breast. I've definitely fantasized about it, but I didn't expect them to be so warm, so soft. Her heartbeat is stronger now, pressed beneath my hand and she kisses me hard. I roll her over onto her back, climbing on top of her, my hot body nestled between her thighs.

We kiss and embrace for a little while; relishing the new sensations we are experiencing, appreciating each other's warm company.

I slowly slide my hand down till I find the top of her simple cotton underwear. She lifts herself off the bed a little and I pull them down over her thighs, her knees, and her feet. I run my hand slowly back over her leg, my eyes running over the silky smooth snow-white skin. As my eyes meet back to her chocolate brown ones, her hands are in a flurry to remove my undergarments too, and I discard them.

She pulls me back on her, our mouths warm with a kiss. I find myself resting near her entrance, and I look softly into those adorable eyes. The familiar blush that I see so often creeps through her cheeks.

"I love you," I whisper hoarsely, not having spoken in a while.

"I love you too, Peeta" her angelic voice shivers with nervousness.

I kiss her lips and slowly enter her. She gasps with surprise but urges me on.  
We rolled in the sheets in a sweat as I embraced with her body, and she with mine. A soft moan escaped her lips as she reached the highpoint of our adventure, and this sent me over the edge and I joined her.

We lay, entangled in each other's naked bodies, and I traced patterns on her stomach. Her face was flushed with sex, an attractive pink hue that suited her well. I could get used to seeing that color on her, knowing I gave it to her, every night for the rest of our lives.

The analogue clock on the nightstand was telling me I had to leave in half an hour, and I wished time wasn't so short. Lya sighed sadly and gently pushed my hair from my eyes.

"I have to go," I say sadly.

"I know" She nodded. She looked directly up at me, "I will see you again Peeta" she said determinedly.

"I know" I choke out. "Come back to me"

I crush her body to mine and hug her tight as a few tears flowed.

I finally released her and moved out of bed. I picked up my underwear, and putting them on I turned around.

Lya was standing right behind me, the bed sheet that had hidden most of her body was lying on the floor. I stared in awe at her naked body, and suddenly realizing, she made a move for it.

"No wait" I threw my arm out in front of her. She froze in the candlelight.

"Just wait, I want to remember this. I want to remember the silhouette of your body, every line." I walked around her slowly, admiring, placing kisses on her shoulder, her back, and finally her lips. She blushed and smiled at me, that sweet, sweet, adorable smile.

While I collected my clothes, she pulled pajamas from the dresser and dressed far too quickly. I could have stared at her all night.

She straightened my collar, and helped me button my shirt. Thankfully it wasn't too creased, but the suit jacket would hide most of the evidence of our tumble.

We walked to the door of the bedroom, and I brushed a stray curl from her cheek.  
I kissed her gently.  
I looked over her face, the russet brown eyes, the pink cheeks, the delicate lips, and the soft curls that framed it.

With the last kiss, I turned and walked away from the girl I loved, and tried to ignore the deepening urge that was beating in my chest to take her, run far, far away and hold her in my arms forever.


	12. Chapter 12: The Hero In The Hedge

_Authors Notes: Yes, Im sorry I've been awol. I've been busy with university, making my brain even bigger than it needs to be. I didn't get any responses for the last chapter, so I have idea how it was received. Hopefully you didn't hate it. Anyway..._

**_WELCOME TO THE ARENA._**

* * *

**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 12**  
**The Hero In The Hedge**

Lya's POV

After Peeta leaves, I crawl into bed, my body still a flutter from the tenderness of my moment with him. But the happy feeling doesn't last, because as he left, he took all the calmness with him.

Im lying, eyes wide open under the covers. I can still smell Peeta on them, and it's the only thing keeping me from breaking down completely. For a long time, I replay the moments of my life over and over.

I remember my mother walking me to school on my first day, and planting dandelions with her. I remember my father kissing my mother in the kitchen, and how they were so in love. I remember my father leaving, and I remember being alone. I was alone, cold and hungry for a long time.  
I remember the first time I slept on Ria's floor, and how she tucked me in and sang to me, like my mother used too.  
I remember seeing Peeta's dazzling blue eyes on my seventeenth birthday. I remember falling in love.  
I sorted through the happy memories carefully; I never wanted to forget them. Even if I was going to die soon, I wanted to remember these moments.

I drift through dreams and night terrors, my body entangling itself in the sheets as I tossed and turned. Cinna wakes me at dawn, and I jerk awake and fall on the floor. He helps me out of the sheets and into a simple body suit, my drained body too tired to work properly. Cinna's final transformation for me will be in the catacombs under the arena.

Cinna and I stand; hand in hand on the roof as the hovercraft descends upon us. The ladder drops down and Cinna puts my hands on the rung and I take a step up. Im instantly frozen and the ladder rises until in inside the hovercraft. Inside, a woman injects something into my arm. The pain is immense but I can't even open my mouth to scream.

"It's just the tracking device" She says calmly. "Its so we can find you in the arena, wherever you are"

She presses a button and leaves but Im not prepared for the fall to the floor and I take a tumble. Cinna is collected from the roof while I sort myself out and he leads me into a room where we can eat.

Today the food tastes like ash. It looks as beautiful as ever, but I can't stomach even my favorite fruit soups or the chocolate tarts.  
Cinna and I sit in silence as the scenery through the windows changes from the Capitol to tree's and meadows. The windows go dark all of a sudden, and I know we are almost there.

We land and Cinna and I slope down into the catacombs and make our way to the room where I am to be prepared for the arena.  
Cinna dresses me in the outfit for the arena; all the tributes will be wearing the same thing. And Im pleased to find its mostly clothes I would normally wear, with a few exceptions.

Im dressed in tight black riding pants and a murky brown tunic. A brown belt is placed around my hips with notches for holding assorted items. The boots are knee high on me, but soft leather, and a perfect fit. Last Im given a long sleeved black jacket made from strong cotton.

The inside is lined in a synthetic material and Cinna whispers to me "Expect water, lots of it" as he fingers the inside of the jacket, pretending to straighten it out. I catch his eye but I don't say anything just in case.

Cinna takes the top part of my hair and braids it intricately back.

"I want you to be able to see where you're going" He slips an extra elastic or two onto my wrist as he fixes my sleeves.

I realize Cinna is doing everything that he can to help me, without crossing lines.  
He takes Ria's comb from his pocket and I can't help but gasp at the sight of it. In my state, I'd forgotten to take it off the dresser earlier this morning, but Cinna had somehow known I'd need it.

He slipped it into my braid, making sure it was secure and that I wouldn't loose it.

"That's it. I've done all I can, now we just wait"

Cinna and I sit silently, his soft dressmaker hands holding my own until a voice announces the launch is about to begin.  
I walk over to the metal circle and step onto it.

Cinna releases my hand but clasps one gently to my cheek.

"Good luck little Lya Redwan." He says, and I lean down to kiss his cheek.

He takes a step back and smiles sadly as the glass cylinder cuts us off from each other.  
He traces from finger from his eye out towards me and I know what it means. Aim straight, aim true and don't hesitate.

The plate rises, and I get my last glimpse of Cinna below me, and my first glimpse of the arena before me.

I notice murky water lapping around me. To my left is Silas the boy from District 1. To my right is Set, the boy from District 11. Past him I see fruit trees, and past that I see lush jungle. Im suddenly confused and I launch myself around. The terrain behind me is a plane of darkness. I realize I am on my plate in the middle of a moat.

The moat surrounds the center island, in which is the towering Cornucopia, shining dully in the clouded sunlight. Behind all the tributes, land pans in a circular motion, extending to the ends of the arena. The land is divided in sections, some full of jungle, some water terrain, and the darkness behind me.

Alton must be opposite me, on the other side of the Cornucopia. To get there; Im going to have to dive into the murky lake and swim to it. Im confident in that, Im sure I can make the distance, and I know right then that Im going to go for it. Most of these tributes probably can't swim, so I could easily make it to a set of knives I hope.

Peeta told us to find water and head north. I look up to the sun and find it behind the clouds, north means heading through the moat, to the Cornucopia island and back through the moat on the other side. I have no idea what the land is like there, if it will be jungle, or even fields.  
The countdown has reached ten seconds and I crouch on the plate in a sprinting stance, ready for the gong.

"Hey" Silas calls out on my left.

I look at him out of the corner of my eye, never taking my eyes off the Cornucopia.

Before he can say anything else, the gong sounds and I leap straight off my plate into the murky water.

It chills me through my clothing and I swim as fast as I can for the island.

_Arm over arm over arm over arm_I keep repeating to myself and shortly my legs find sand and rocks beneath the moat.

I haul myself onto land and make a mad dash for the knife set in the center of the Cornucopia. My ears are alert and listening but it's oddly silent. Sneaking a glance behind me, some tributes are still on their plates, but most are gone. This means Im not alone, so I throw the knife sheath over my shoulder, haul a backpack on and sprint for the land heading north.

As I reach the shore of the shadowy moat, I clip the backpack and sheath tight to my body and dive into the water. The tributes have all disappeared from their plates on this side. District 4 would have been here, they've been swimming since they were young. Im pulling myself through the water to the land ahead of me and I hear screaming coming from behind me. A cry curdles through what was silence and the pain in the voice is unmistakable.

One tribute down, only twenty-three to go.

Suddenly all goes brown as Im pulled under the water, on instinct I inhale and my lungs inflate with the water. I splutter and try to kick the hold that's on me and head for the surface. Impulsively I kick out and my foot connects with a hard body. I erupt into the air and less than a meter from me so does Lyle, the boy from District 4. He must have seen me and dived in to take me down.

He makes a stroke towards me when a huge rock is flung into the water between us. The resulting splash is huge and Im washed close to the shore. I stumble up onto the land and I see Lyle is already heading to the Cornucopia where the Careers are small figures gathered around it.

I spin around to see my savior and a figure dashes behind me and into the tall hedges. Looking up, it seems that tall hedges surround the outside of the part of the terrain in the arena. There is only one entrance into that section of the arena, and I don't fancy following him.

"Thank you" I call into the hedge and keep going.

I move along the shoreline a bit, and head into the next change in terrain, a lush jungle, and full of large willow trees with giant roots. I climb through them, the heat causing sweat to drip down my face.

Suddenly Im pulled behind a tree, a large hand over my mouth. I look up onto familiar grey eyes and push the hand off me.  
Alton pulls me into a hug, crushing me.

"I cant breathe!" I squeaked into his chest and he released me laughing.

"I knew you'd make it!" and he clapped me on the back knocking me down a little.

"So what is this place? He says as he looks around.

"I don't know…it seems to be all sorts of different grounds on one land. I just passed a hedge maze to get here."

Alton nods "Yea my plate was in front of that one"

"My plate was in front of darkness." Alton looks at me quizzically.

"That's all I can explain…it was just…darkness. The Cornucopia is on an island in the middle, that's going to be dangerous if the Careers end up camping there."

"It will also make them easy targets" Alton says and he taps a finger on the knife sheath that's over my shoulder.

I think carefully.

"Okay, well I only know of one death so far.."

"Three" Alton interrupted. "District 1 took down the boy from 9, and the boy from 4 killed the poor girl from 11 and the boy from 7 while they ran for the Cornucopia. He was a fast swimmer, but Im bigger so he didn't try to take me on."

"He almost got me as well, if not for someone who saved me. I thought it was you, but I didn't see who it was."

"Where did he go?" Alton questioned,

"My hero went into the hedge" and I laughed sickly, because if the roles were reversed, I don't think I would have saved someone. It would just mean having to killing them later.

"Lets keep moving" Alton says in a low voice, so we pick ourselves up, moving deeper into the lively jungle.

We crawl through the roots until the ground is covered in a slow moving fog. It swirls around my ankles, dancing and glistening in the small amount of sun that shines down through the thick foliage.

Alton and I find a large tree, and with a boost from him, I climb high into the branches. I call out to him and he hauls himself into the tree with me. We climb high enough to be safely hidden in the leaves and nestle into a hooked branch.

We count the supplies in our packs. Mine contains a tarp for rain protection, an empty bottle for water, dried meat, a loaf of bread, matches, a small glass bottle with a cork stopper, a coil of strong rope and a sleeping back.

Alton's contains a sleeping bag, matches, wire, a small medical kit and two coils of rope and metal clips.  
"I think we did good," Alton says joyfully.

I agree, my pack seemed to be mostly food orientation and Alton's was a endurance pack. Together we made up a decent survival kit.  
The sun was low in the sky, and Alton and I were exhausted from a long day. It had already been over six hours since I stepped off my plate, most of the time spent putting distance between ourselves and the other tributes.

Alton and I crawl into our sleeping backs and settle into the braches of the tree, Alton insisting I move to the branch above and adjacent to him for protection. The branches high up are wide enough we could have shared but he was right, It was safer to be slightly apart.

We heard the sound of the anthem being played, and conveniently, the Capitol symbol was reflecting in the night sky, clearly visible through the only part in the thick foliage that allowed us to see it. _Those Gamemakers are really something_I thought to myself.

Faces flashed on the screen, the girl from District 2 was first. I didn't know she had died. Then the boys from 7, the girl from 9, and the boy from 11.

"Twenty left to go" Alton said. I rolled over in my sleeping bag and listened to the unfamiliar creaks of the trees.

I wished I were home.


	13. Chapter 13: When The World Comes Alive

_Authors Notes: So yes, Im sorry I've been so busy. I've had a lot to do this weekend, and now that its over, I can go back to writing. At least Im determined to finish this story, so dont worry, you will get your ending no matter how long it takes me._

* * *

**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 13  
When The World Comes Alive**

I awake to a low rumble, and the branch beneath my sleeping bag is quivering.  
Alton looks up at me from the bough below, and I silently bring my finger to my lips and withdraw one of the six knives hidden in my sheath.  
I'd slept with it on; I didn't plan to ever take it off during these games.

I see movement below and a figure is creeping through the large roots a few trees over. It's Titus the boy from District 5. I didn't expect to see him here, and I realize a smaller figure is following him. The tribute is so small it only took me a moment to realize it was Cora, his nine-year-old District partner.

"Can we stop now?" Her tiny voice drifts through the night.

The creaking sound begins again and Titus turns to her, taking a fighting stance.  
Suddenly, something whips through the air, taking Cora by her left ankle and hoisting her into the air. She screams shrill and loud as she's flipped upside down.

That's when I notice it; the forest is more than just existing, its alive.

Cora is still screaming as the vine swing her back and forth, building momentum to crush her into a nearby trunk.

Alton looks at me, and we both know what we need to do. We scoot out of our bags and rustle them into our packs. Cora is swinging violently now and Titus is using the sword he procured at the Cornucopia to slash away at the foliage.  
I aim a knife at the vine hanging Cora, and with a flick, it cuts straight through the vine holding her and lands in the tree trunk opposite. Cora falls from the sky, and Alton leaps out of the tree, catching her and landing with a thump on the dirt.

I feel a tickle on my leg and I look down as a vine wraps itself around me.

I leap into the air, using the vine to propel me across the gathering. With outstretched fingers, I reach the other side and pull my knife from the trunk and slit through the vine holding me.

Cora is sitting on Alton's shoulders now, a minor weight for him to bear. A giant tree root that has wrenched itself from the soil is overtaking Titus, earth still attached in bulbs to the roots. The root crashes down and he nimbly somersaults out of the way. The sound it makes as it hits the ground is momentous, and the leaves shake from it.

"We have to go" I shout to Alton and he nods.

"Take Cora" I yell and I dart forward to grab Titus by the arm.

He's taller than me and he rounds on me with his sword. I sidestep his blow and he must realize that we're trying to help them because when he see's Cora waving at him, he takes my hand and we run. Alton leads the way, his large frame leaving an easy path to follow. Titus and I dodge grappling vines and leap over upturned roots, and my lungs start to burn.  
The journey that Alton and I made into this forest was at least two hours long, so hopefully with fear on our heels, we would be out soon.

_The arena must be huge_, I thought, _if this is just one of those sections of terrain I saw._

  
The forest begins to thin and we slow down to approach the shore softly. We perch on the outer edge, still hidden in the small ferns that separate the sand from the jungle.  
Alton puts Cora down on the ground and she runs to Titus who pats her on the back.

"Thank you" Titus says roughly to us, I know how he feels. Indebted is not something you want to be in this game.

"They weren't kidding when they said this Quarter Quell would be interesting" I say quietly.

"They weren't kidding when they said to watch out for you" Titus smirks back at me.

"Alton" Alton introduces himself and holds out his hand to Titus. Titus shakes it and says his name back.

"Im Cora" her little voice pipes up behind Titus.

"And you're Lya" she points at me.

"Yes I am" I smile.

I notice Cora isn't wearing a pack; she must have run straight for the nearest hiding spot when the gong sounded. Titus has a small drum on his back, probably from the sands edge. I can see he is analyzing Alton and I as well.

"Not many went for the Cornucopia" He says and he looks pointedly at both our backpacks.

"It was a fluke mostly. Almost didn't get away" I say coolly.

"Yea I saw the boy from 4 trying to take you under" He replies.

I stare at him quizzically for a moment when it clicks to me. He threw the rock that saved my life.  
He realizes I've made the connection but he just shrugs it off.

"Thank Cora because she insisted I help. She's quite fond of you" He waves it off.

I smile down at little Cora and she just beams at me.

"Well thank you Cora. I guess we're even now"

"I hate to break this up, but we need to keep moving" Alton says in a low voice.

"Well we've been into the hedge area, we couldn't find anything. It took us hours to find our way out." Titus says.

"Beyond this forest, I see another forest but with trees and pines. Its not damp and thick like this one was." I scan the edge of the lake.

"And what if it's the same?" Cora whispers. "What if the trees hurt you?"

"Lets keep low, and keep moving until we find one we like. There's bound to be a few good ones" Alton says and he smiles down at Cora.

Titus and I exchange a look, we know better.  
The Gamemakers didn't plan it this way so we could find a nice spot and having a good time. No, each of these lands would be dangerous, maybe even more treacherous than the one before it. We have no idea what we could be walking in to. They planned it well though, if you didn't take shelter in one of the terrains, you were easy picking for anyone on the shoreline or at the Cornucopia.

We crept southwest, hidden in the ferns along the beach, emerging from the amazon jungle into the softer edges of the forest terrain next to it. We snuck a few meters into the forest for safety, but always kept moving down, always following the shoreline.

We reached the edge of the forest and I gasped when I saw the next terrain. It was a large field, as far as I could see of wheat and lupens. They grew tall, far over my head, but Alton could easily see over them if he stretched up a bit.  
I held my hand up for everyone to halt. I was in the lead, then Alton, and then Cora and Titus brought up our last party member.

I scaled a tree just on the outskirts of the forest area, my small fingers making quick work of pulling myself through the branches. I picked a large tree because I wanted a good scout of the entire arena. If it was as large as I thought, I don't know if I was even going to be able to see it all.  
I climb high enough that soon my head emits through the greenery and into the open sky. From here, I can see most of the nearby areas in the arena and I gasp. I didn't realize it from the ground, because it was almost impossible to see, but up here, in the sky, its all so clear.  
I climb back down to Alton and Titus, stopping a few branches before the ground.

"Its Panem." I choke out.

"What?" Alton looks strangely at me.

"The arena, its Panem." I slowly begin. "The island that the Cornucopia sits on, it represents the Capitol. I only realized what it was when I saw the wheat field, and beyond that there's any area of fruit trees and orchards. The wheat fields, its full of grain, just like District 9. You wouldn't have seen it Titus, because you came from District 5 into the Capitol, but Alton and I saw all the Districts, we saw the fruit trees and orchards of District 11, its all there. This arena is Panem."

Titus looks around as I jump from the branch to the ground.

"So that forest with the tree roots, what was that?" Titus thought aloud.

He pulls a piece of parchment from his drum, securing the skin back over the top.

"Where did you get that?" I ask

"Found this in the maze. There was a few things in there, not all were useful."

He hands me the parchment. "Draw what you saw up there." He instructs.

I pull a match from my bag and strike it, blowing out the flame. I use the charcoal end of the match to sketch a map onto the parchment.

I draw the island in the middle of the arena, and the moat surround it and label it "Cornucopia."  
I draw a large mass of land surrounding the moat and divide it up into twelve. I put the hedge maze into one of them, the one near where Alton had been on his plate. In the space next to it, I labeled it with "jungle" and "roots". The space next to that was "pine forest". Moving down the map, the next space was "wheat field, District 9", I skipped the space next to it, all I had seen was more forest for that, and in the next space I wrote "fruit trees, District 11".  
While looking at the map, I realized the Districts went in order. Next to District 11, I wrote 12 in the space, and 1 after that, and then 2 and so on until all the spaces we're filled.

"So" Alton muttered, "The forest with the roots that tried to kill us was District 7."

"They're the lumber District" Cora said knowingly.

"I wonder…if that was lumber, then what could be hiding in this forest. This is supposed to be District 8."

"District 8, well known for its textiles and trade with the Capitol" Cora rattled off. I can see she was going to be useful for one thing. Her brain was a sponge at such a young age, if we need to know about any district, she would help.

"How could they possible turn textiles bad?" Alton looks around him.

I walk past him into the forest and pull down a hanging vine. I throw one end to him and he grips it. We both pull hard on one end, but the vine does not break.

Titus takes it in his hands and tries to pull the tiny green threads apart, but he can't.

"This is unusually strong for forest vine." I remark.

"That's just it, its textiles district." Cora says. "You can use it for rope, or snares. I saw people setting snares in training."

"This must be a place to gather natural supplies. " Alton says.

"And if its not? If it tries to kill us?" Titus snaps at him.

"Well look around" I say. "Its nighttime and nothing has moved. Listen. You can still hear the crashing of the roots from the District 7 area, but here is silent."

We all cock our ears, straining for sound, waiting for danger, but none comes.

"Okay lets find a place to rest for night." Alton says, his voice cracking in the dry heat.

"Im thirsty" Cora whines.

"Me too" I whisper, "but we will find some water soon, promise"

There was no way we were going to try the water in the lake where we came into the arena. It was murky and when I was pushed under I think I swallowed some, and all it did was make me nauseous.

I take her by the hand and we walk deeper into the forest area. After a small while my boot splashes into a small pool of water. We all stop and stare at the ground, my soft leather boot glistening from the moisture.

Cora follows the small puddles until they lead us to a tiny lake. Its not very wide, maybe only twice as big as my bathtub back home, but water is water.  
Alton takes some into his hand and presses it to his lips. He smiles and looks up at us.  
"It's okay, its rain water" He laughs, joyous that things are finally settling down.  
We sit down and drink happily, and I take the loaf of bread from my pack and break it into four pieces.  
After we eat, I help Cora into a tree with me. Titus makes to follow but I stop him.

"These alliances we have…are you honest about it?" I whisper to him in a firm voice while Cora climbs above us.

"Im doing what's best for her, and that seems to be sticking without you two…for now."

"I agree. So lets make a deal, we trust each other okay? We trust each other until the stakes are too high, and we make a split then. But until that happens, we watch each others backs all the time."

Im looking into his face, and searching for an answer. He has pale green eyes and dark hair that falls to his chin. His white skin glows in the moonlight and his mouth curves up in a wicked smile.

"You have a deal Lya Redwan." And he shakes my hand, his rough fingers enclosing my soft ones.

His hand doesn't let go until Alton claps him on the shoulder from behind.

"Glad we're sorted. Now, you and I are taking that tree" and he points to the tree opposite the one Cora and I will be in.

"I want to stay with Cora, Its my job to protect her"

"Lya can do a better job that you can, trust me" Alton says in a low murmur.

I finger the leather on the sheath of knives around my shoulder and Titus's eyes follow them. He nods slowly, and I can see his brain is ticking. He calls goodnight to Cora who whispers it back.

He turns on his heel and makes a start on climbing the tree Alton pointed to. Being from District 5; radiation, he's clumsy at climbing but at least he's trying.

Alton and I smile warmly at each other, and I bounce up into the tree branch with Cora. I hear laughter below and I see Alton is pushing a wide-eyed Titus into the tree, who was shocked at how quick I could scale the tree.

I settled little Cora into my sleeping bag with me, and tied us into the tree using the strong vines.

She snuggled down into me and fell asleep instantly. I wasn't as tired, having slept before in the other forest.

Cora slept for a few hours, and I enjoyed the peaceful silence, until she was jolted awake by the sound of a cannon shot.


	14. Chapter 14: Baked Apples

_Authors Notes: So more and more of you are subscribing to this story every day, which pleases me. I only wish I had more time to write! Dont worry, soon I will finish exams and I'll be all yours! Then I can start on my other stories. 3_

* * *

**Lya And The Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 14**  
**Baked Apples**

_Peeta's POV_

My head slips through the hand and it bangs hard on the table I was leaning on.  
Jerking awake, I groan at the newfound throbbing above my eyebrow and rub it, annoyed. I've been staring at these monitors for hours on end, watching, waiting for a glimpse of Lya. I hadn't seen anything since those roots attacked them back in District 7 territory, and currently the cameras were following some of the Careers.

They were stalking through the District 5 area. It was a barren wasteland mostly, with shrubs, dead trees and large rocks for cover.  
Crouched behind one of overturned logs was Adria and Silas from District 1, Hunter, the boy from 2 and Hilary and Lemuel, both from District 3. Dohra, the girl from 2 was still at the Cornucopia. They'd set up traps in the lake, so if someone didn't cross to the Cornucopia at the right place, they'd be caught and face one of a few ugly deaths.

"Here" a gruff voice said behind me and Haymitch put a cup of strong coffee in front of me.

I hadn't eaten in a while and the smell of the brew made me nauseous.

'Drink, if you're not gonna eat, you might as well have something so you can watch this crap" Haymitch whispered.

I put the coffee cup to my lips, the bitter taste moving with a splash into my empty stomach.

"You seen her yet?"

I shook my head at Haymitch's question.

"No, it just keeps following them" I said resentfully and pointed up to the screen.

Haymitch's eyes travelled up to the large monitor in front of me. Around us, other mentors were talking on the phones, organizing sponsors, sipping strong coffees and chatting loudly. Unlike some of these people, I didn't live for the thrill of the games.

"Peeta, look" Haymitch gasped and he placed a hand on my shoulder.

Someone behind me was turning up the volume as we watched the horror unfold.  
Adria was screaming, her skin turning red. All the tributes had started running as fast as they could, determined to get out of the area.  
Looking closer, I saw the fumes being emitted from the ground.

"Radiation" Someone exclaimed behind me.

District 5 was the power District; radiation was being released into the arena. I scanned all of the monitors in front of me, searching to see if Lya was on one of them, but it was just the terrain the Careers were in that was being affected.

I watched them run, their breath in shaky gasps. Red sores appeared on their skin, swelling in giant pustules. Hilary cried aloud as one of her eyes welled shut from the sores and she tripped. Silas turned back to look at her, but they all kept running. She was crying now, screaming at them, arms outstretched for them. The others reached the edge of the terrain and burst through to the cold sand surrounding the lake. Finding the right spot, they dove into the cool water, the pain on their sores relieved.

The camera switched back to the girl they left behind. She was whimpering, her skin melted like wax from a candle. I was aware of someone behind me throwing up repeatedly at the sight, and Im sure my face was frozen in permanent horror as I watched blood seep from her wounds.

Finally she was quiet and still, her frame small without the layers of skin and clothing attached. Her leg was seared to the bone, her tibia exposed in the poisonous air.

The canon sounded, the signal of her last breath.

Haymitch released his grip on my shoulder, where he'd grabbed it earlier, but his jaw remained unclenched.  
I could hear people behind me, organizing medicine to be sent to their burnt tributes, but I couldn't care less for them.

As sad as it is, one of their deaths meant a better fighting chance for Lya.

_Lya's POV_

The sound of the canon echoed through the trees. Cora jerked awake and slipped from the branch but didn't go far. The vines I tied around us during the night had a firm grip and kept her from falling.  
Across the gathering, Alton and Titus both drew their weapons. We waited and we listened as the sun slowly rose, encasing the leaves with a golden light.  
Finally, we stretched our sore limbs from sitting frozen for so long, and climbed down.

Alton filled all our empty bottles with water, knowing that we might not get a chance to find another source. We collected long strings of strong vine and roped them around our chests. Cora collected a few large leaves. While we had eaten, she had woven them into a strong shield for herself, and I sat amazed at her small hands dancing across the green fronds. It reminded me of the days I used to watch Ria sit on her old stool, her hands moving nimbly with the thread.

We emerged from the forest area and into the wheat field. Cora and I were able to jog comfortably, but Titus and Alton especially, had to duck every now and then when the wheat height became low. This always made Cora laugh, a joyous tinkling sound. We moved carefully, myself with a knife in my right hand while I ran.

"There doesn't appear to be anything around here, just more wheat" Titus said, his voice breathy with exhaustion.

"Maybe if we went in further?" Cora replied.

We hadn't strayed too far in to the field; we wanted to stay near the shoreline for a quick escape if needed.  
I slowed as up head the wheat began to thin and I saw trees through the long grass.

"We need to go in there" I said, and I pointed to the next forest area.

"What is it? What District?" Titus asked.

I pulled the map from one of the inside pockets in my jacket and opened it carefully. Scanning the sections I found the one next to the wheat field.

"Its District 10" I replied.

"District 10." Came Cora, "Well known for its livestock"

"We can hunt in there" I said to Alton. He nodded in agreement.

"Wait, what if its not so easy. Nothing so far has been easy. It could be full of anything in there, you have no idea what you'd be walking in too!" Titus pulled me back roughly by the arm.

"Look around" I seethed at Titus. "Of course its not going to be easy, but guess what. Im hungry, you're hungry, we're all hungry. If we don't find food soon, the next cannon shot will be for us." And I ripped my arm from his grip.

"Fine" He started "but Im going with you. Alton can stay here with Cora. Keeping honest right?"

I looked up at Alton and we had a silent conversation though our eyes. Finally he relented and Titus and I made our way into the unknown woodland.  
He broke a long, thick stick of a sapling and swung it around a few times.

"Pass a knife here" He held out a hand towards me.

I smoothly whipped one from my sheath and passed it over, handle first. He took it and began to sharpen the end of his makeshift spear. I leant over and put my hand on the knife.

"Like this" I said, and I showed him how to make even strokes, and the wood began peeling into curls and falling to the forest floor.

He looked up at me surprised.

"Just don't blunt my knife" I smiled mischievously at him and walked on.

He followed a few steps behind, looking up every now and then to scout around. As Titus was handing me back my knife, we heard a twig crack and I froze, both knives at the ready.

A low growl came from my left, and I ducked lower in a defensive stance, twirling the knives in my hands facing the hidden animal.  
Titus took up position behind me, his right arm raised with the spear.  
We waited, solid in our stances as the ferns moved gently with the animals breathing. Titus stiffened behind me.

"There's another on our south" he whispered through tight lips.

Just as he finished talking, the creature behind us leapt through the air and Titus whirled on the spot flinging his spear. It hit the brown blur through the shoulder and it crumpled to the ground. Rolling over, the spear broke off and it began to circle us. It was over five feet tall, resembling something like a cow with its hooves and horns. It was muscular, and it snorted madly. Its red eyes glowed with anticipation.

"Mutts" Titus breathed.

His back was pressed against mine as the mutt walked around us. I slipped him one of the knives and his hand enclosed mine for a few moments. As the bull-like creature limped around us, the second one joined it, forming a second counter circle.

"Wait…just wait.." I whispered.

The one Alton hit was limping badly, and I knew it was going to stagger any second, just as I tensed it stumbled into the ground, its massive weight unable to bear with its wound. The first creature turned to it and I took my shot. Flicking the knife around in my hand, I launched it at the unwounded one. The knife imbedded itself into its eye with a squelch and the creature howled and came for me. Titus pushed me aside as it leapt and the creature took him down to the ground. Titus stabbed repeatedly and I pushed the animal off him. It rolled aside, dead and bloody. I helped Titus to his feet; his chest was bleeding pretty badly.

We turned to take care of the other mutt, but it had crawled away.

"Thanks" I said breathlessly, trembling from the confrontation.

"Well, at least we don't have to hunt now" Titus said, and smiled weakly.

"Come, sit. I need to take a look at you" I said strongly, and helped him over to a tree and propped him against it.

His tunic was soaked in blood and I took off his jacket and lay it to the side.  
He groaned as I moved him and I opened my pack to see what I had.  
I had a wrapping of cotton that I had taken from Alton's medical kit, which should be enough to stop the bleeding.

Titus lifted his arms up and pulled off his shirt, when I looked up from my pack, he was sitting half naked grinning at me.  
I just raised my eyebrows at him and poked his stomach.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "That hurts you know".

Now it was my turn to smile and I leant down to look at the gash.

"When the mutt charged you, it must have stabbed you with its horn. Its not too deep, which is good, so I should be able to bandage it, but I don't have anything for the pain, sorry."

I used some of the precious water in my pack to clean his chest, and as the water washed the blood away, I saw the strong muscles beneath it. Clothed, you couldn't tell, but sitting here, naked before me, I could see the strength in Titus's body.

"Lya" He said slowly, a laugh playing in his voice. "Are you blushing?"

"Nope" I said firmly. "I'll be right back"

I stood up and walked to a nearby plant, gathering large leaves and throwing Titus's wet, bloody shirt over a branch to dry it.  
Returning to Titus, I packed them tightly into the wound. I didn't have anything to stitch him up with, but hopefully this would sustain.

"Definitely blushing" Titus winked at me.

I looked up, staring straight into his green eyes. I leaned close to him, and he moved nervously beneath me. I kept moving towards him until our faces were inches apart.

"Titus?" I whispered.

"Yea?" he swallowed nervously, his eyes darting to my lips and back.

"I could always let you bleed to death" I murmured sweetly.

He laughed anxiously at me and I pulled back to grab the wrapping from the pack.

"Shame one of us will have to die eventually" He says sadly.

I just nod and palpate his wound, wrapping it carefully in the bandage. As I worked Titus watched over my shoulder, keeping an eye out.  
I secured the bandage, my hands running over his bare chest. Titus smirked at me but didn't dare say anything else.  
I walked over to the dead mutt, and made an incision in its flesh.

"The meat is like that of a cows" I called back to Titus.

"Well, It should be okay to eat…right?" he replied.

"I don't think they were mutts" I said slowly. "They just looked like wild creatures to me. Mutts would have at least been genetically altered, they were too normal"

"They were unusually aggressive for cows" Titus pointed out. "Like they were on trackerjackers."

We both paused after he said this and looked at each other.

"The meat should still be fine, we'll just stay away from anything near the stomach"

I cut the animal into chunks, sectioning the more tender meat out of the beast. I placed it on a large leaf and drew each end of the leaf up, securing it in a parcel. I made another two parcels of meat and packed them into my bag. I handed Titus his shirt and he winced while he pulled it on, followed by his jacket.

We searched around for a little bit until we found a stream where we filled our canteens.

Titus jumped when we heard another creature growling, this time further away.

"We need to go" He said, and he grabbed my hand and we ran back to where we entered the forest. We crept into the wheat field and it wasn't long before Alton and Lya found us.

We relayed our adventure to a wide-eyed Cora and a stern faced Alton, and we all agreed that we shouldn't stay in that terrain for the night. I pulled the map from my pocket and added "beast forest" to the District 10 section.

"Im hungry" Cora whined.

"We need to find a place to settle, and then we can eat" Alton said to her.

"I think we should keep moving" Titus piped in. "Our chances are better if we stay on the run."

I make a start for the field line, Titus behind me, with Cora in the middle, and Alton in the rear. Moving quietly through the wheat, we enter the beginning of the beast forest and try to walk silently with twigs cracking under our feet. The growling is still audible, but at least it's not anywhere close to us. We pause to rest, drinking and chewing a few bits of dried meat I had in my pack from the Cornucopia. It's not long till we are again on the move, always looking over our shoulders. The terrain is rougher now, and Titus is having trouble jumping over the tree logs. I offer him my hand and he takes it gratefully. Alton takes the lead with a tired Cora on his shoulders, and Titus and I follow, our hands joined together in our temporary alliance.  
Soon, we arrive at the edge of the forest.

"There are too many forests" Titus mutters to me and I laugh.

The next section is supposed to be District 11, and I can already smell the sweetness of the fruit trees in the afternoon air.  
I don't remember how long I've been in the arena for already, it's been a few moons since I arrived. The journey between terrains can sometimes take a day or two, and we've moved though three of them already.

"I can smell something delicious" Cora says excitedly.

We enter the territory, moving deeper into the back of the arena to take cover. The trees are thicker here and the scent of the fruit is overwhelming.

"This is good" Titus says. "The smell will cover the scent of our cooking meat."

"We just have to move deep enough they don't see the smoke"

"I can cook without smoke" I add.

We make shelter in the divided roots of a large apple tree and Alton brings me wood to make a fire with. I place rocks over the twigs and use two rocks to strike a spark. I didn't want to waste our matches, not while fire was so easily created in this terrain.  
Titus was sitting braced against the nook of the tree, untying a package of meat and placing one piece in a single leaf and resealing it. He made twelve small parcels, each with a chunk of meat inside. Cora scaled the tree above him and dropped four apples below, which he also wrapped and handed to me with the meat.

With the rocks on top of the fire, they heated quickly, and prevented smoke from billowing. I placed the packages of meat on the scorching stones and the leaves crackled as the meat began to cook. Cora collected a whole bundle of apples, pears and a strange orange fruit that was round. They placed these in Alton's pack, incase we had to make a quick getaway.

Once the meat was almost cooked, I put the apples onto the stones and the rich aroma of baked fruit filled the air.  
The sky above us was turning a dark gray fast as the sun went down. It matched the gray in Alton's concerned eyes as he watched the clouds move in. We ate a parcel of meat each in silence, simply savoring what would surely be fleeting peace.

"That sky is going to rain any second now" Cora says as she munches happily.

Together, Titus and Alton string up the tarp that was in my pack, and I was glad it had been included. Using the ropes, we strung it across two branches and down into the ground near the opening of the two roots we were sitting between. From one side, we secured it to the root beneath it, leaving the other side open, so that we could escape if needed, and so rain would run down our diagonal tent roof.  
Alton and I walked around to where the roof was attached to the root, and covered it in leaves and branches so no one would be able to tell we were there. From an approaching eye, it would simply look like part of the tree had fallen over.

"Im going for a scout" Alton said to me.

"Be careful, please" I murmur and place a cold hand on his chest.

"Don't worry Lya, I wont leave you alone with those two" He smirks and starts to make a wide arch around our camp.

I scurried back into our tent just as the first few raindrops began to patter on my face. I scooted in next to Cora, and brushed her blonde hair back from her face. She was messily eating her apple dumpling that I'd baked, and I thought sadly that these would be her last happy moments soon.

I pulled my hair from the plait Cinna had left it in and ran my fingers through it, undoing the knots. As I flicked it over my shoulder I noticed Cora had fallen asleep, apple in one hand. I took the apple and placed it back on the stones. Gently, I pulled Lya into one of the corners of our makeshift house.  
I pulled off my jacket and covered her shivering body.

"She's worn out, poor thing" Titus whispered softly. "She shouldn't even be here".

"I know" I reply.

"Neither should you." He said. "I saw what you did at the Reaping. You didn't have to."

"I care about the ones I love, I don't let them suffer." I muttered, shivering from the cold.

The stones weren't doing much to keep us warm now that the rain had started, even in our little enclosed tarp house.

"Here" Titus said and he started to shrug off his jacket.

"No" I stopped him. "You're wounded, you'll need it more than I will if hypothermia sets in."

"Well you're no good to me if you freeze to death" He counters.

I sigh and say "Let me have a look at that" I point to his bleeding wound.

He lifts up his shirt and I remove the bandage and clean the gash in his stomach. I replace the leaves with fresh ones, and rinse out the bandage, placing it under the stones until its dry. Wrapping Titus back up, I catch his green eyes staring at me.

"What did you do, back in District 12?" He asked, curiously.

"I lived with a seamstress, I washed clothes and mended them when needed"

"Is that who you volunteered for?"

'Yeah." I paused for a while, and he flinched when my cold hands prodded his wound, checking that the bleeding had stopped.

"Do you have a family?" I asked casually.

"Don't." came his reply. "Don't Lya. Lets not do all that. I wont be able to kill you when the time comes. Even before I went into all this, I didn't think I could kill anyone, until it came to the moment, and there was no choice. It was them or me Lya, and even now, looking at you...I just cant."

I nodded. "I know how you feel. When I met Alton, I stayed away. I didn't want to make friends, but something like this, it bonds you for life."

"So are you and he…?" He casually ran his hand though his hair.

"No" I smiled.

"You're a strong person Lya; you're going to win. I know it." Titus took one of my hands in his and smiled warmly at me.

I smiled back but the pit in my heart was tearing right through me. It wasn't fair that people had to die, had to suffer, all so the Capitol could sit and watch for their own sick entertainment.

I trembled in the cold wind, as the rain howled down on us.  
Alton appeared in the opening, his hair drenched from the fall.  
He ran his hands through it, his clothes mostly dry underneath thanks to the synthetic lining that was inside.

"All good out there" he whispers.

"I'll take watch" Titus replies.

"Are you sure?" Alton asks.

"Yea, cant sleep anyway with the constant throbbing of pain" He jokes and gestures to his torso.

Alton shrugs in response and crossing to Cora, he settles down next to her, his large body protecting her from the cold winds. He throws his sleeping bag over the both of them. I think he's grown quite fond of our little friend.  
I turn back to Titus and he's staring out at the rain, biting his lip.  
I look at him with a worried expression when he grimaces and clutches his stomach.

Squeezing his hand assuredly, I reach for my own sleeping bag. I pause, normally Cora and I share and the boys alternate.

Sensing my hesitance, Titus turns from the picturesque rainfall to me.

"Come here" he whispered.

I lean into him gently, being careful not to lean on his wound. He wraps one arm around me, snaking down over my waist and drawing me close. I place the sleeping bag over both of us and hand him one of the knives from my sheath. He sticks it into the ground on the other side of us and lays my head down on his shoulder. He draws the sleeping bag up to my neck and tucks it in, keeping me warm.

"Goodnight Lya" he whispers, his hand absentmindedly twirling through the curls in my hair.

"Goodnight Titus" I reply.

Somehow, in someway, I had formed a bond with this odd boy from District 5, and like it or not, I dont think I was going to be able to kill him if the time comes.

Like it or not, we were in this together.


	15. Chapter 15: The Utopia

_Authors Notes: 1/3 exams done. My last one is in 3 days. Then you shall have more of this story!_

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**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 15**  
**The Utopia**

I woke to the sound of pattering on the tarp above me. It had worked quite well in the rain, the water pouring over and down on the other side of the large root.  
Pressed against Titus's chest, I looked up to find his green eyes staring down at me. His face was expressionless and pale white in the moonlight. Looking past him, I saw the rain had stopped falling, yet the pattering on the tarp above continued.  
Something didn't feel right.

I pulled myself into a sitting position, drawing a knife from my belt. Titus looked from the knife to me and instantly he was alert and wary. We both looked silently up to the piece of plastic stretched above us, straining in the darkness to see something, anything.

A high-pitched squeal howled in the silent night and I saw Alton's eyes snap open. I quickly leant across and pressed a hand to his shoulder, ceasing his panic.

Another shriek sounded and Alton pulled himself from the sleeping bag as carefully as he could, so as not to wake Cora.  
We had prepared the backpacks before we slept, a necessary precaution.  
I wondered if it could be the other tributes. There were still nineteen of us all together, fifteen still out there somewhere in the arena.  
No, if it were a tribute, they would have done something by now. They would have slit our throats in our sleep. This was another monster of the arena, waiting for us.

I pulled the sleeping bag off Titus and soundlessly stuffed it into my pack. Alton did the same and a now-cold Cora stirred. Her big eyes turned towards me, the fear on her face illuminated by the moonlight. I pressed a finger to my lips and smiled at her. She pulled herself up, and taking her shield, she nodded at me.

Titus startled as another screech pierced the silent night. Cora was staring up at the tarp above us, it was gently moving with whatever was above it. Frowning, she turned towards me.

"Bats" she whispered.

I looked at her confused, how could she possibly know that?

Titus looked over at her.

"The caves in District 5" he whispered back. "There were lots of them there."

"So what do we do?" Alton asked.

"We have to make a run for it." Titus whispered.

"Can you run?" I asked him.

"Im sure if it's a choice between life and death, I'll be fine" He laughed dryly.

"Lya take the lead, Titus next, Cora Im going to carry you." Alton dictated.

I moved into position, pulling my pack onto my back and securing two knives, one in each hand. I knelt just before the edge of the opening to our makeshift home. Looking out, I could see figures circling the fruit trees.

"They must feed on the fruit at night" I whispered. _Hopefully that's all they want to eat tonight_, I thought silently to myself.

"Ready?" Alton said, and he squeezed my arm with his hand.

I nodded, and taking a deep breath, I pushed off and darted out into the night. Digging my heel into the dirt, I turned and ran north towards the moat that surrounded the Cornucopia.

Titus was directly on my back left, and Alton wasn't far behind.

The howl in the night was petrifying, and glancing back, I saw a black shadow descend upon where we had made camp and turn itself to chase us.

With our feet pounding on the ground, the dark horde stalked our every step. It was gaining on us fast, and I didn't think we could stay ahead much longer. The leaves that fell from the trees crunched underneath my feet, the only other side in the quiet orchard besides our ragged breathing or the chilling shriek of our pursuers.

Suddenly a new scream joined the noise, and I turned to see a bat zip down and attack Cora who was perched on Alton's back.

I threw myself around and headed for them, ignoring Titus's pleas to keep running. Alton caught up to me and I turned and we ran together, side by side. I helped Cora to pull her woven shield over her back; this should help to protect both her and Alton from further assault.  
My lungs were burning and my muscles ached, but I urged a tired Alton on.

"Keep running!" I shouted, determined not to have it end this way.

The trees flashed past on either side of me, the smaller branches whipping my face as I ran past. Blood slowly dripped down from a fresh cut in my cheek, but I wiped it away and forced my legs to keep moving.

Something hit my back and I felt tiny claws tear through my hair. I swiped at the creature, knocking it away. Alton was much further ahead now, and Titus was nowhere to be seen.

Another bat grazed at my arm, its claws digging into my jacket. I swung my arm around, trying to dislodge the creature. I screamed aloud as its tiny teeth sunk into my shoulder and I threw myself at a tree, crushing the monster.

My shoulder throbbing, I glanced behind me, the cloud of black less then twenty meters away. I wasn't going to be able to outrun them in time.  
I took off in a sprint, ignoring the pain that seared from the shoulder down. Blood was flowing from the bite wound that bat gave. Up ahead, I saw an overturned log.  
I leaped over it and threw myself on the ground behind it. I dug the dirt away from the base, pushing it away in piles. I pressed myself face first into the ground and wiggled as close as I could under the log.

The creatures flew right over me, and I squeezed my eyes shut as the wind that came with them howled through the trees, making the tremble.  
My head grew dizzy from the blood I had lost, and as the stillness resurfaced, I slipped deeply into silence.

I awoke, sluggish and sore. My hand was sticky from where the blood had dried after running down my shoulder. I slowly pulled myself from the log and stretched my aching limbs. A few bones cracked from lying so still and my head was pounding. I pulled a dirt-encrusted hand from the ground and pressed hard on the log, pushing myself to stand.

Woozy, I slipped back and leant against the log, the scenery before me blurring through my vision. When my eyes cleared, I looked around. There was no sign of Alton, Titus or Cora, and the orchard had an eerie silence surrounding it.

Pulling the water from my bag, I took a swig, the water refreshing my raw throat. I must have been screaming more than I thought. As I was putting the water back, I noticed my hand was covered in tiny cuts and bite marks. Raising my hand to my face, I felt the cuts on my cheeks and the back of my neck. I wanted to wash them so they didn't get infected, but I only had my one bottle of water, and I didn't know when I would find my next source.

For now, I was alone.

I walked through the orchard until I reached the sand of the beach. Crouched in the shrubs, the Cornucopia was completely deserted. Obviously we weren't dying fast enough and the Careers had decided to take matters into their own hands. That explains why Alton and Titus where nowhere to be found. Had there been a cannon shot? I don't remember one, but I have idea how long I was out for. It was either a few hours, or a day and a few hours. Chances are, the Cornucopia was set up with snares. There's no way they'd leave it unguarded.

I picked up a stone and launched it into the air. It landed with a splash in the middle of the moat. Suddenly, a loud boom sounded and droplets went everywhere. No one came running, nothing was shouted, so they must be further away then I thought. I don't want to risk heading into the cornucopia anyway, so I kept crawling along the edge of the fruit trees, the District 11 territory.

Ahead, past the fruit trees, all I could see was darkness. The entire terrain for the District 12 was complete and utter darkness. I could see how that represented the coalmines, but I didn't see how it would be useful in this arena. Wouldn't all the tributes just avoid it? And how did the Gamemakers keep the entire area dark while the sun shined down on everywhere else?

Tentatively, I reached my hand out and into the darkness. It disappeared completely and I quickly pulled it back. Examining it, there wasn't any new wounds or burns, just the same nicks made in my skin from the bats.

I understood now, this was a place to hide. The only problem was that anyone inside wouldn't be able to find you, and chances are you would never you're your way back out. Who even knows what could happen in there? Who knew what lay beyond the silent darkness? I wasn't going anywhere near that, but I didn't have a choice.

I pulled my jacket closer around my neck, the air was cooling fast. Taking a deep breath, I crawled through the last of the blades of grass in the orchard and into the darkness. Instantly I was blind. I couldn't see anything around me, much like being inside a dark room.

The ground below me was hard stone. I slowly stood up and walked, heel by toe, being careful to lean down every now and then and feel to my left for where the sand met the rocky ground. At least this way I wasn't going to get lost inside the blackness.

I walked for about an hour, my pupils dilating desperately, trying to see where I was going. It was so quiet, and all I could hear was the sound of a pebble being shoved by my boots every now and then.

Without warning I stumbled into a bright light and my body responded by tripping head first to the ground while I shielded myself from the glow.  
The ground beneath me was plush and soft. The grass, a beautiful green colour that spanned for acres.

As my eyes adjusted, I lifted my head from my arms to see the wonder before me. I could smell flowers and cinnamon and fresh air. The soil was rich with plants, bluebells and dandelions. Roses in every colour were blooming and the perfume that came from them was intoxicating.

I wandered through the garden, pulling flowers from the trees and throwing the petals in the air. Even the sky was a miraculous shade of blue.

I pulled an apple off the tree and began to eat it. The sweet juice dribbled down my chin and I ate greedily.

With further walking, I came across a small gathering in the middle of this utopia. The water fell from a high cliff, streaming over the edge to pool at the bottom. Willow trees hung over the lake, secluding it from prying eyes.

I put my pack on the ground, dropping the knives along with it. I placed my boots on a rock and threw my jacket over them.

I slowly descended into the lake, the water swirling in patterns and dancing around my ankles.

Taking a deep breath, I slid into the water, diving under the surface. The world above me disappeared, I was no longer in the arena.

I was in my own little paradise.

Resurfacing near my belongings, I peeled off my wet clothes one by one till I was only in my undergarments.

I slung them over a nearby tree so they could dry, and diving back into the pool, I was blissfully unaware of a pair of eyes watching me from the top of the cliff.


	16. Chapter 16: Out Of Mind

_Authors Notes: Im sorry to keep leaving you on cliff hangers! I just wrap the chapter up wherever it seems appropriate, trying to tie it all together. I have finished all my exams now and have the next 2 months off, so enjoy!_

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Lya and the Labyrinth  
Chapter 16  
Out Of Mind

Alton's POV

After we reached the edge of the District 11 territory, I made a dash for the field of grain we had taken refuge in earlier. I ran and ran, Cora clinging to my back, her shield held strong in her tiny hands.  
Finally, we reached the field, and collapsed into it. I couldn't hear anything over the sound of screeching except my own heavy breathing. Completely exhausted, I let myself drift off into sleep.

When I woke, the sun was high in the sky. I rolled over and stretched, the wheat stalks flat and crushed beneath me. Turning over, I saw Cora sound asleep and curled into a ball. Titus was on her other side staring off into the field.  
He turned around in response to my movement and just stared at me with cold eyes.

"Lya's not here" he said stiffly.

Still disorientated, I looked around. Panic rising, I stood up and started searching through the nearby wheat.

"Its no good" Titus called. "She's not here. I've already made two circles."

I crossed back over to him.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"What happened is she went back for you." He lashed out. "And that was the last I saw her".

"No" I said firmly. "She was right behind me."

"No. You left her behind!" Titus was yelling now, his hand clutched to his chest.

Cora awoke with a start and began to cry. He knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder till she calmed down.

"I didn't hear a cannon shot," I said.

"Doesn't mean it didn't come while we slept. We'll know tonight when the pictures show."

"Well until then, we search." I stood up and gathered my pack; I handed an orange to Cora and tossed an apple to Titus.

Eating an apple myself, I knelt on the ground and wondered where Lya would go.

"We start with the orchard, then we head east. If she is still alive, and she fell behind, chances are she didn't come this way." Titus said behind me.

"And why wouldn't she come this way?" I snapped.

"Because you didn't go into that Beast forest. She wouldn't come this way, I know it. We got lucky last night on the beach; the Cornucopia being abandoned gave us the stealth we needed to get here."

"I don't want to go back" Cora whined. "The bats…"

"They're only at night." Titus soothed. "If we move fast, we can do it."

Cora nodded quietly, and stood up, shield over her shoulder. As if in response, Titus stood as well, both waiting for me to make my move.  
I turned away and strode off, heading southeast for the orchard, Titus and Cora in tow.  
We walked in tense silence until we reached the beginning of the orchard. We stayed mostly in the shadows of the passing forests, keeping a watchful eye on the Cornucopia and beach.

"Look at the trees!" Cora exclaimed.

All the fruit trees were covered in tiny scratches and bite marks. I began to worry, if this is the damage from the flock flying out of the territory, I'd hate to think what had happened if they caught up to Lya.  
We strode carefully through the trees until we reached where we made camp. The sun was heading towards late afternoon as we searched the campsite, finding rotting fruit fragments and the remains of our campfire.

"She's not here," Titus said.

"Well then she kept going" I growled.

I turned and walked east, heading through the orchard to the next terrain. Picking fruit off the trees, I filled my pack as I went, eating some and throwing the cores away.  
Up ahead, through the trees, darkness spanned. Curious, I moved closer to what seemed like a wall of black that extended from the soil to the roof of the arena.

I carefully threw an apple at it, and it disappeared right inside.

"I say we go around" Titus's voice came from behind me.

"I don't like the dark" Cora pouted.

"Around we go."

We headed up the side of the darkness towards the beach only stopping once to drink and rest. Ducking into the bushes on the beach, we crawled from one to the other, the gloom on our right.

"That must be District 12" Cora whispered from behind me.

_Did she mean the darkness?_

"What?" Titus asked.

"Think about it. District 11 was the fruit trees, so this must be District 12. Maybe inside it's not dark. Like looking down into a mine is dark right? And then when you head down, lights guide your way." She said knowingly.

It made sense; I mean I didn't want to argue with the kid. I barely even finished school before I started working in the mines, but I wasn't going to head into that field of darkness no mater what anyone said.

"There's forest just beyond it. If Lya is anywhere, its in there" I whispered, and making the final few feet, I ducked into the rich terrain and behind a willow tree.

"Its so pretty" Cora murmured.

I looked around at her words, she was right. Everything here was beautiful, the fruit was brighter and juicier looking than any other I'd seen. The trees were growing large and fertile, even the sky was a deep blue with not a single cloud. The early morning sun shining down through the leaves.

"What is this?" I wondered aloud.

"District One." Cora answered. "They make luxury items for the Capitol" Her voice was softy and fading as she kept walking further in.

_The Capitol._

The words stung me and released me from the influence of this wretched arena.

"Wait!" I yelled and ran after Cora. I shook her until she asked me to stop.

"Don't touch anything. This is the arena. This place is playing tricks on us."

"How can it? This place wouldn't hurt us?" Titus said, coming up behind me.

I dropped Cora and swung around, giving him what I considered to be a light smack to the face. He doubled over, his hand rubbing his cheek.

"What was that for?" He yelled and pushed me, even though I didn't budge.

"Glad you're back" I grinned.

"Did you have to hit him?" Cora shook her head disapprovingly.

"Yes, I think you enjoyed that far too much" Titus glared.

"No one touch anything. Don't eat the fruit either. If Lya is here, we need to rescue her. It would explain why she hasn't come to find us."

"Spread out in a horizontal line, we'll cover more ground that way. But keep everyone in your eyesight at all times" Titus said.

We spread out, walking through the trees, looking for something or anything that might give us a sign.  
Suddenly Titus held up his hand for us to stop, something he'd picked up from Lya.  
He signaled for us to stay put, and he crept through the bushes in front of him.

Holding my breath, I waited for my answer. Was Lya alive, or dead?

I heard the sound of screaming and without hesitation; I leapt forward through the foliage.

In front of me was a crystalline lake, which was the bottom pool to a large waterfall. There was bubbling on the surface, and I could see two figures fighting beneath. A head burst through the water, which was fast turning red from spilled blood.

The girl that came up was spluttering, her lungs coughing water. She half-swam, half-splashed towards me, her brown hair swaying out behind her. Falling on the rocks in front of me, her body became still and limb.  
Gingerly I pushed her body over onto her back, revealing the deep gash in her neck. She was nearly dead already, but blood was still flowing from the slit in her throat.

Suddenly a second body burst from the water. It was Titus brandishing one of Lya's knives. He swam the shore and violently threw up water from his lungs.

"Twins" he gasped between heaves.

I looked at him confused, trying to make sense of his strange behavior, where was Lya?

A cannon shot pulled me from my thoughts and that's when it all made sense. I looked down at the dead girl, her hair plastered to her cold face. This was Julia, one of the twins from District 10.

Titus wiped his mouth and stood up. "Clif is still out there, he got the jump on me then ran into the bushes. She was trying to finish me off. They're after Lya".

"She can't get far," Cora said from behind us.

I turned to see Cora holding Lya's sheath of knives. It was full, minus the one in Titus's hands. Behind her, on the tree, Lya's clothes were strung up.

"Why would she leave all this behind?" I wondered aloud.

"Its this place" Cora answered. "It tricks you. Look," she pulled a half eaten apple from near Lya's belongings. "No one touch anything. Don't drink or eat anything!" Cora flung out her arm towards us. "Stay here too long, and we'll lose ourselves too."

"That explains her," Titus pointed to the dead girl. "She was raving on about me taking her last raspberry tart."

"We have to find Lya, and fast." Cora pulled Lya's clothes over her shoulder and handed the knives to me. I put them around me and knelt down on the ground.

"Which way?" I looked up at Titus.

He pointed through some trees, and we took off running. As we left, the hovercraft came down to take the girls body home. It wasn't long before we heard shouting. Breaking into a sprint, I rounded a log to find Lya and the other twin Clif on the ground fighting.

He was bare-chested, with no weapons in his hand. Lya was in simple undergarments, black shorts and a black tank top. He was kneeling on top of her waist trying to hold her down. She flicked him over onto his back and punched him expertly not once but twice in the jaw. He retaliated by landing a blow above her eyebrow, the skin splitting and fresh blood spilling. I dived forward to help but Lya swung around off him and back a few steps, dancing lightly on the balls of her feet. I moved to step between them but Clif turned around and growled at me.

Titus threw his arm across my chest. "Wait!" he exclaimed.

"They're not themselves" Cora whispered.

"He's going to kill her" I muttered back.

"Just wait" she replied.

Clif was standing now, and copying Lya's movement in a circular motion.  
Lya was moving closer to us, Clif on the other side of the clearing.

"I'll grab her, you take care of him" Titus murmured out of the side of his mouth.

With a slight nod, I braced myself against the ground.

Lya was just a few meters away now, her eyes locked on the wild boy across from her. Without hesitation, Titus lunged forward and took her small frame and wrapped it safely into his arms.

A shriek escaped from her mouth and she started to kick and push away from him. Clif charged for the both of them and I stepped in and he ran headfirst into my fist.  
Leaning down, I hid his body with my large frame from everyone else. With a quick movement, I yanked his head sharply to the left, the audible crack echoing with Lya's screams in the silent terrain.

The cannon sounded and I gently released his body onto the ground. The humming of the hovercraft was faint, but not far away. It had been waiting around for us, just in case.

"Ouch! Hey!" Titus yelped. Lya had just raked his arm with her nails and he'd responded by hoisting her over his shoulder.

I had to give it to her, she was putting up a pretty good fight, pounding hard on his back and demanding to be put down.

"We need a place to keep her, until its all out of her system." Cora said.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"The food is drugged; we didn't eat anything from this place so we're okay. They all must have eaten, or even swam in that lake. We need to find a safe house."

"Sorry about this." I said to Lya and I fastened her wrists together with some of the rope from my pack. She had dark circles under her eyes and blood under her fingernails.

We began the walk towards the Cornucopia, being careful not to come in close contact with anything that could be contagious. Lya kept banging on Titus's back but by the time we had reached the sandy beach, she had fallen asleep and swung gently to and fro.  
We moved from the entrancing District 1 territory and onto District 2 terrain. The ground was made of stone, with giant pillars everywhere.

"District 2, Stone and carving tools" Cora breathed.

We wandered through the rocky land, caves and holes hidden everywhere. Titus was becoming breathless from having to carry Lya. She barely weighed anything, but the terrain was rough. I would have taken her, but I was carrying all the packs, and Cora too when she became tired. We came across a hidden cave and settled inside. It wasn't very deep, but it was hard to spot. Anyone looking for it would have to travel off the main path. Cora climbed off and ducked inside. I pulled Lya's sleeping bag from her back and lay it on the ground. Titus lay her down and she slumped against the ground.

"Okay, Alton, we need wood or something to burn with, it's going to get cold soon. Titus, go find something to do" Cora said matter-of-factly.

"What are you going to do?" Titus retorted.

"Well for starters, Im going to re-dress Lya and then Im going to set this cave up. How about you set up the perimeter?"

A blushing Titus's eyes travelled over Lya's body, and he nodded and got up to leave. I followed him out and together we gathered wood, and set up a warning sign for anyone who might come close. We stacked small pebbles a foot high in a radius around our cave. Anyone who came in without paying close attention would knock them over and send the sound echoing around the area.

The sun was leaving the sky and the stars were beginning to show. The air was cooling fast and we hurried back to our cave.  
Inside, a dressed Lya was sitting on a rock staring at Cora with wary eyes. Her body trembled and she jumped when we entered.  
When I asked her how she was feeling she responded with a hiss.

"She's still suffering, but she wont try to run, I don't think" Cora said.

I handed the wood to Cora who placed it down and put a few rocks on top. Lighting a fire, we all huddled near it and ate cold meat except Lya who sat in the corner and stared at us with barren eyes.

The Capitol anthem played from outside and a startled Lya ran for the mouth of the cave. Titus dived for her and held her back. She tried to pull herself from him but eventually gave up and just sank against the ground. Titus let her go and moved to sit at the entrance to the cave. Lya crawled into her sleeping back and sulked facing the wall.  
Cora and I joined Titus and we watched the deaths. Etta, the girl from District 4 had died sometime today, we'd missed the cannon shot. Next were Julia and Clif, their faces joining Etta's in the night sky. Julia, her face twisted with madness, and Clif, his face was expressionless.

Cora left to sleep, leaving just Titus and I alone.

"Sixteen of us left" Titus whispered.

"This is almost over." I agreed.

"Hey, uh, for what its worth, it was cool to have known you." Titus started. "I mean, this isn't exactly an ideal way to have met friends, but I'm grateful for you saving Cora that day we met, and myself."

I smiled at him and knotted a rope in my hand.

"She's going to come back right?" Titus whispered, his voice shaking. I knew he was talking about Lya.

"I hope so." I said. "I hope so."


	17. Chapter 17: Flowers That Glow

**Lya and the Labyrinth**  
**Chapter 17**  
**Flowers That Glow**

Lya's Point of View

I heard them talking outside, talking about Lya. They'd called me Lya. All I wanted to do was go back to that wonderful lake and lay down in the water, staring up at the clear blue sky.  
The ground here was hard and cold, I hated it.  
The voices outside stopped talking and I heard shuffling as a body moved into the back of the small cave, taking rest. The second larger body stayed near the entrance.  
Listening carefully, I lie still for an hour. Soon, his breathing became low and steady. Slipping carefully out from underneath the sleeping bag, I crawled slowly towards the entrance. The giant man was snoring softly, his head dropping onto his chest. I slithered past him and out into the cool night air.  
I heard them calling this barren land "District 2". That name sounded familiar but I couldn't remember where I had heard it. As I walked, I tried hard to sort through the muddled mess in my head, but the more I thought about it, the more my head began to hurt and I gave up.  
A pebble skittered across the ground in front of me and I whirled around.

"Its okay." The figure said, and he held out his empty hands in front of him.

I froze and my eyes darted around my surroundings. It was just rock and emptiness everywhere, nowhere for me to hide. In my rush, I'd forgotten to grab one of those knives I saw stashed away earlier.

"Just relax, Im not here to hurt you". The boy raised his chin to look directly in my eyes.

He took a step towards me and I took a few back in fear.

"Okay, okay" He said, and he sat down on a rock. "I get it. I bet you're hungry though, Im just going to put this here."

He took an apple from his bag and placed it on the rock next to him and he started eating a second one.

I watched him for a moment, before darting forward to take the apple and skipping back a few steps. I hadn't eaten in so long and I bit hungrily into the fruit. I sat down on the ground and played with a pebble. I'd pick it up and roll it through my hand, feeling it slowly crumble, grain by grain.

A warm hand touched my shoulder, and I startled from watching the pebble. The boy was sitting next to me, very close. I looked over him for a second, and deciding he wasn't any danger, I went back to the pebble. He watched me for a while and I turned to look at him. One hand was resting against his stomach as his green eyes watched the pebble pass through my fingers.

"You were hurt," I said slowly, watching his chest.

"I was" he replied. "You fixed me".

"Did I hurt you?" I titled my head to the side. I didn't think I'd have hurt the boy. He didn't seem like any danger.

"No." His reply was short and low.

"Im Lya." I said matter-of-factly. The more I said that name over and over in my head, the more it seemed like it could be mine.

"I know. Im Titus."

"Titus" I said his name a few times, letting the sounds roll off my tongue.

"It sounds funny." I decided and went back to playing with my pebble.

An itching sensation caused me to reach up and rub on my forehead, and when I brought my hand back down, there was blood on it. I stared at it, wondering where it came from when the boy pulled a cloth from his drum and took my hand in both of his. I flinched at his touch and he just kept repeating, "It's okay."

He washed my hand with some water and he poured some on the cloth so it was damp. Titus knelt close to me, his face not far from mine. Reaching up, he carefully tucked my hair over my ear and pressed the cloth to my head. He was nice to look at, his dark hair hanging casually over his face. I frowned at him, I didn't understand why he was being nice to me.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Because we are friends"

"I don't remember being friends with you" I replied and narrowed my eyes.

"Its okay Lya" He hushed, and he leaned in closer to me.

My heart quickened, a response I wasn't prepared for and my hand gripped hard to the ground beneath me.  
Sensing my hesitance, he quickly pressed his lips on mine and my body responded by tensing. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap, deepening his kiss. His lips were nice, the warmth of them spreading over my face. I felt a heat spread through my body down to my toes and my eyes fluttered closed.  
He gently pulled away and looked down at me, and chuckled at my wide-eyed expression.

"I don't think you were supposed to do that" I whispered.

"Why not?" He asked, kissed my nose.

"I…I…don't know." I stuttered.

"Well" he said. "When you figure it out, let me know" and he leaned down and kissed me again.

I don't know why I let him kiss me, it felt nice, but it also felt wrong. I felt like there was someone else who was waiting for me, someone who was yelling and screaming, demanding this to stop right now.

Well, I was going to stop this.

I pulled away from the quiet boy, and stood up. He stared up at me, confused.

"Im tired, I want to sleep." I said and I started walking away.

"Hang on, wait! You're going the wrong way." And he pulled me back and pointed off somewhere. "That's the right way Lya."

He entwined his fingers through mine, and when I didn't object he lead me down the rocky path. As we walked I stared up at the sky, watching the glinting stars.

"Hey." I said slowly and pointed up. "Look, one of the stars is falling"

Titus raised his head to where I was pointing.

"That's a parachute" He exclaims and we give chase, the wind carrying it away from us. Im looking up at the parachute while Im darting over the rocks that I don't notice when I crash into a hard body.  
I shriek and teeter backwards, but his strong arm reaches out and steadies me. In his other hand is the parachute.

"My star!" I exclaim and reach out for it.

He looks down at me and over my shoulder to Titus who was coming up behind us.

"You should have woken me" The large man spoke in a deep voice.

"You fell asleep Alton, and she snuck out. I was just bringing her back." Titus defended.

Alton, so that was this giant's name. I tried to pull the silver package from his hand while he argued with the boy behind me. He looked down surprised at me, as if just noticing I was attempting to wrench it from him with all my strength.

Reaching down, he unscrewed the top of the star and handed it to me. I toyed with the shiny metal in my hands, watching the pretty reflections shine off it. When I heard my name I looked back up at Alton and Titus.

"Well who else would it be for?" Alton was saying.

"How would they even know what to send for her?" Titus replied.

The thing in the star was for me? I reached into the bottom part of the bowl and pulled out a small medicine bag. Inside was a needle filled with a bright blue liquid.

"Lya, I need to put this in your arm." Alton turned me and spoke softly.

I looked down at the needle in my hands.

"That? This sharp thing in my arm?" I wondered aloud.

"It wont hurt much, I promise, and you'll feel all better." Alton smiled.

I handed him the needle and closed my eyes, I didn't want to see the sharp point go into my skin. I felt my jacket being taken off and my sleeve being rolled up to my shoulder. A stinging prick made me cry aloud and I bit my lip until it went away. Opening my eyes, Alton rolled down my sleeve. Putting both large hands on my shoulders, he leant down till he was staring right into my eyes. Looking back from one to the other, he searched my face impatiently.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"Tired…really tired." My legs felt weak and woozy and my eyes kept fluttering closed.

Alton picked me up and carried me the rest of the way to the cave. I was aware of being placed down softly on the hard ground and the next thing, all I could see was black.

-

When I opened my eyes, the throbbing behind them was unbearable. I made an audible groan and turned to see Cora chattering loudly to Alton and Titus.

"How are you feeling?" she chirped to me.

"Like I've fallen out of a tree and hit every branch on the way down." I whined.

"Well, whatever was in that medicine, it worked" Alton cheered.

I sat up and moved to the warm fire, accepting the orange I was handed. I ate it section by section while Cora asked me questions.

"What do you remember?" She asked, leaning close to me.

"Everything" I replied. "Which reminds me, who has my knives?"

Alton chucked and reached behind him, handing my sheath to me. I slipped it over my shoulder, fingering the cold metal.

"What did I miss?" I say, eating another segment of orange.

"Not a lot." Titus answered quietly. "We found you in District 1 area."

"This arena is serious stuff." Alton said. "We thought we'd lost you for good."

I laughed loudly "Good luck with that."

We agreed to keep moving north, through the different District terrains. Next up was District 3, "General Electronics" which we knew, thanks to Cora.  
We wandered through the rest of the rock terrain and gladly said goodbye to it as we crossed the border into another forest environment. The plants were lush and green here, and the ground was covered in moss and wood chips. A low fog crawled along the ground, weaving its fingers through the roots and leaves.

A twig snapped in the distance and within a second, a knife was in my hand and my ears were alert. A figure was walking through the mist towards us; it was Cordel, the girl tribute from District 7. She was young, with cropped hair and tanned skin. Twirling an axe in her hand, I stood opposite her, twirling my knife.  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw two more figures appeared behind us.  
I slipped a second knife from my sheath into my empty hand and the girl in front of me just grinned.

Without warning, she launched her axe and it sailed smoothly through the air towards me in slow motion. I flicked my shoulder back as it grazed past, taking a layer of skin with it and imbedding itself in the tree behind us.  
I turned back to her, my shoulder rich red with blood.

"My turn" I said in a low murmur and her smile faltered.

She didn't expect that she would miss, and the two intruders behind me held their ground as she turned to run. I watched her for a moment, not savoring her death, but giving her a moment to get away. I didn't really want to kill her.

Raising my arm, I flicked one knife out in front of me, followed quickly by the second one. They moved swiftly and silently, one imbedding itself in the back of her neck, severing the nerves in her spinal cord and killing her instantly. The second knife was just in case I missed with the first, and it landed directly in her back where her heart was, going through the muscle and piercing her heart. I didn't really need the second knife; I never missed.

As she fell to the ground, the cannon sounded and the two behind us made their move, the man leaping for Titus with a sword in his hand. The women was Ezra, the mother from District 8, which means the man must be her husband Elias.

The women hit Cora over the head and Cora fell to the ground. Alton descended upon the women and she turned and fled, and he gave chase. I rushed to Cora, checking her chest lightly. She was still breathing, not dead, just unconscious.  
I heard a cry and I turned to see Alton holding the women up by her neck. Her legs wriggled in the air and with a quick flex of his fingers, she was still and a second cannon sounded.  
Titus had run through the trees, and the man had followed.

"Go" Alton said to me, and I left Cora with him and ran through the trees towards Titus's voice, a knife in my hand.

I reached them in the next clearing, he had climbed a tree and Elias was attempting to climb to reach him. I flicked a knife, but he heard me coming and turned and lunged for me knocking me to the ground and the knife lodged itself in the tree.

With his heavy body pressed on me, I couldn't reach my knives. My hand reaching out, I enclosed it on a rock, which I hit him over the head with. He cried in pain and rolled off me and I pushed him over and scrambled to stand. The wound the rock made was deep and blood was flowing furiously. Clutching his head, he yelled in anger and dived for me. With a quick step, he ran past me and I slipped one arm through his, and standing pressed against his back, I put a knife to his throat and pulled outwards. His death was instant and with the sound of the cannon, he slumped in my arms.

"Im so sorry." I said to him.

I turned my head to the sky, where the Capitol was watching me. The pain on my face didn't need to be forced and I whispered another apology to their children watching.  
The hum of the hovercraft signaled its approach and I gently released his body and lay him to rest.  
Titus took my hand and pulled me from him, slipping the knife back into my sheath for me.  
I was aware of the tears falling from my eyes, but I couldn't control it, I couldn't stop it. My feet walked without me making them, and they carried me to where Alton and a dazed Cora were waiting.

We walked in silence through the forest, crawling over the moss until we reached a small meadow, encircled with large willow trees. Above us, a canopy of branches formed a roof, the sunlight streaming through the tiny gaps in the leaves. To the left were two small lakes, clear blue pools of shimmering light. We filled our bottles and drank till our thirst was subsided. Pulling the last of the meat from my pack, we ate in silence.

"We should get you washed," I said to Cora, my voice breaking the lull.

She was covered in dried blood, not her own, but Alton's. He had grazed his arm chasing the woman.  
"I'll set the perimeter" Alton said. He nudged Titus and they both stood up and exited through the trees.  
I undressed Cora down to her undergarments and washed her clothes while she bathed in the larger pool. I hung them to dry and stripped down to join her. I scrubbed at the blood under my nails, trying to wash any trace off me. I hated this place, I hated the arena and I hated the Capitol most for putting us here.

After I made sure Cora was clean, she dressed and went and sat by the fire that Alton and Titus were building.  
I emerged from the lake and while I waited to dry, I sharpened my knives on a rock. Pulling on my riding pants, tunic and boots, I shouldered my knives and carried my jacket to the others.  
I sat down next to Cora and she sat quietly while I braided nearby flowers into her chocolate brown hair.

"Do you have a family, back home?" Cora asked me in a quiet voice.

"I used to, a long time ago. I have Ria now" I answered.

"It's just me and mamma now." She said. "Papa left a long time ago."

"So did mine." I said between braids.

Cora turned to look at me and smiled. It was the first time I'd seen her happy in ages. Her eyes drifted down to my shoulder. The axe had torn a hole straight through my jacket, and it hurt too much to put on. Wearing just my tunic, you could see the wound clearly. The raw flesh was a deep red and the dried coating that had formed was soft from the lake. Fresh blood was already beginning to drip from a tear in the lesion.  
Titus pulled the medical kit from Alton's backpack and sat down next to me.

"Lya?" He said, his face flushing with red. "I can't wrap it with your tunic on."

Silently, I pulled the sheath off followed by my tunic off and Titus moved to sit behind me where the gash was at its worst.

"Im hungry" Cora whined.

"Well, we don't have any food left besides two apples. Shall we go hunting little one?" Alton knelt beside her.

Nodding, Cora stood up. I handed her one of my knives for protection.

"Look after him" I whispered to her and winked at Alton.

Grinning, they both left leaving the clearing in silence.  
Titus worked quietly and gently, removing any dirt that had found its way to the wound since I'd bathed. His hands lingered over the exposed skin on my back and I smirked to myself.

"You're not going to kiss me again are you?" I asked him.

He stopped moving, his hand frozen on my skin.

"You remember that?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, I remember everything." I replied.

Placing a few clean leaves on my damaged shoulder, he wrapped it gently.  
After he was done, I turned to look at him and his face was sad and fallen. Looking at him quizzically, his eyes met mine and he sighed heavily.

"Hey" I said softly and I reached out my hand to touch his.

He leaned forward towards me and I instinctively pulled back. He turned his face away, the hurt clear on his face.

"Titus…" I started. "Its not that I don't like you."

"Sure" he said bitterly.

Angry at his own self-pity, I crawled to sit in front of him and forced his face to meet mine.

"I like you, okay? You're a good friend and you mean a lot to me, but I left someone back home, someone I care about very much. "

"I had someone too." He clasped the hand I still had on his face.  
"She was a lot like you. Smart, stubborn and headstrong. She could take care of herself."

"Isn't she waiting for you to come home?" I asked sadly.

"I'm not coming home. I'm not that sort of person; I'm not like her, not like you. You could do it Lya, you could win."

"Anything can happen Titus." I replied.

He reached out and played with a stray curl, just like Peeta used too.

"Do you know how pretty you are?" He asked me softly just before he leaned in and kissed my lips. It was gentle and sweet and when he pulled back he smiled at me.

"Last kiss" I grinned at him.

"I know" he smiled mischievously at me while I pulled my tunic on awkwardly.

I threw knives while Titus tended the fire. He would point at trees and challenge me to hit them, and I didn't miss a single one.  
He was cheering at my twelfth hit in a row when Cora and Alton came back, a small deer over his shoulders. She pranced ahead of him, her jacket filled with fruits and other things.

Pulling the packs out, I counted out what was left. In mine I still had matches, a small glass bottle with a cork stopper and a sleeping bag. I'd lost the tarp back in the fruit orchard when the bats chased us.

Inside Alton's pack we had a sleeping bag, matches, wire, a small medical kit and two coils of rope and metal clips. The medical kit was fast depleting, and soon we'd have to make do with nature to heal us.

As Alton cut the meat into sections, a small silver parachute was floating down from the sky. Reaching up, Titus unpacked it to see four loaves of bread from District 5. Those would go nicely with our meal. We hadn't had much help from our sponsors, but we didn't really need it. I wasn't sure, but there were good chances that we were some of the only intact tribute pairs left.

Using the wire from Alton's pack, I wove some larger leaves together to make a watertight bowl. Filling it with water from the lake we didn't bathe in, Cora and I collected some pine needles and leaves to make a tea with. The afternoon was chilling fast, at least the enclosure of our meadow kept the heat in somewhat.

Sipping tea from leaves with a deepened spine, I prepared a second leaf bowl to make a soup in. Inside I placed water, some of the dear meat, assorted pines and leaves, and a few fungi we dug up near the roots of the tree. While it simmered, I let Cora weave flowers into my hair like I did with hers, and she laughed and chattered.

Together we sat around our fire, eating and laughing, while the sun went down. As the first starts appeared in the sky, the Capitol anthem sounded and we moved out of the clearing to get a better view of the sky. Looking up, we watched the face of Lemuel, the boy from District 3 record onto the sky, followed by Juke, the old man from 6. Then our kills flashed up, Cordel from 7, and Elias and Ezra, the parents from District 8.

"That's a shame. He didn't really have a chance anyway, but it's still sad." Cora said.

I exchanged a look with Alton, and I knew what he was thinking. Cora didn't stand a chance either; she most likely would have died by now if it weren't for us. I dreaded the thought of leaving her when the time came.

Eleven tributes left, including us.

As we walked back to the clearing, we were startled by an exclaim from Cora. "Look!" she said and pointed to her left.

Turning, I saw a glowing in the distance. Moving closer, I realized it was a flower patch growing by a nearby willow. The blue flowers blooming even in the darkness were shining with a dim luminosity.  
Reaching out, I took one in my hands, the nectar falling from the center onto my palm. It was a golden liquid, silky and thick.  
Reaching past me, Alton took one in his hands. The liquid ran down over his arm as he stood back up, taking the flower with him.

"Alton, your arm!" Titus stammered.

I whirled around as the liquid wove its way up Alton's arm over his graze. As it danced over his limb, it left in its path clean, smooth skin.

"It's healing you" Cora whispered in awe.

As the golden fluid wove over Alton's wound, it evaporated into the air, leaving him fully healed.  
Amazed, he reached out and ran his other hand over his arm, testing the new skin. It was like he'd never even been hurt in the first place.

"Lya take your tunic off." He commanded.

Pulling it over my head, Titus helped me unwrap my shoulder till my soft wound was exposed. I winced in pain at the cool air touching my injury until Alton leant down and pulled a flower from its stem, careful to keep the liquid inside the petals. Stepping towards me, he gently upturned the flower, emptying the nectar over my shoulder.

The nectar crawled over my body in a golden shimmer, healing the small cuts and bruises I had obtained, but the miraculous part was when it began its work on my shoulder. The wound was so deep, I didn't think it was going to heal, but as I watched, I saw muscle and tissue being rebuilt and form in the chunk of my deltoid that was missing.

My shoulder took a few minutes to completely heal and while it did, Titus and Cora helped themselves to a flower each, soothing their cuts and bruises acquired from our fight earlier.  
Fully healed, I rotated my arm, testing my newfound strength and agility.

"This world truly is amazing" I smiled and laughed.

Suddenly, I darted off, heading to the clearing. Reaching into the pack, I searched around till my hand grasped what I was looking for and I raced back till I reached the others. Stooping under a flower, I poured the nectar into the empty glass bottle I had found in my pack at the Cornucopia. The bottle glowed deeply with the healing powers of the liquid and satisfied, I put the cork in the bottle.

"Good thinking" Titus said.

Walking back to the clearing, I placed the bottle in an inside pocket of my jacket, securing it tightly.

The sun had completely surrendered to the moon and the darkness was looming upon us. We each had a bowl of soup and a bread roll, it wasn't the rich meals of the Capitol that we were used to, but more of the earthy dinners we had grown up with at home.  
Cora fell asleep in Alton's lap and he placed her down on some soft heather I'd arranged for a bed. Alton tucked her in and lay down beside her, wrapping her in the sleeping bag.

"I'll watch first" I said, staring into the embers of the fire.

"We're all pretty tired, it's been a long day. I think we'll be okay with the perimeter set." Titus said.

Shrugging, I lay down on the second bed of heather next to Titus and he moved so the sleeping bag covered both of us. Feeling better than we had in a long time, and with a belly full of warm soup, It wasn't long before we were all sound asleep.


	18. Chapter 18: Inside The Reeds

Lya and the Labyrinth  
Chapter 18  
Inside The Reeds

There where only eleven of us now, three more deaths and it would be time to say goodbye to those I had grown to be quite fond of. I wasn't really looking forward to being on my own, but I wasn't looking forward to having to kill my friends either.

Sitting by the dying embers of our fire in the early morning, I chewed on a crunchy green fruit with pink flesh. The others were packing or collecting fruit, which left me alone to my thoughts for the meanwhile.

I wondered if Peeta was watching me. He's probably sitting in a chair, eyes glued to the screen, waiting to see if I will die, or whom I'll kill.

No one ever wants to take a life, not the normal ones anyway. I remember there was one year where the boy from District 1 won the games. He only won because he killed mercilessly, wasting no time in spilling innocent blood. It was the only way to win these games, if you didn't have a heart or a soul. You could only make it out alive if you didn't care for anyone else but yourself.

Growing up alone, I never really had anyone else to care for, and no one ever cared for me, until Ria that is. Ria gave me a home, a family; it seemed only fair to give her a chance to live the remainder of her life in peace. People don't often die of old age in the Seam, I was glad she could at least have the chance.

Some nights when it was cold, I'd move closer to whoever was sharing my sleeping bag and huddle next to them. It was less lonely, knowing someone else's heart was beating only inches from your own, just as scared and just as alone.  
Sometimes I think about Peeta, but if Im being honest, I can't do it often. Thinking of him back there, sitting, worrying, not being able to do anything but watch someone he loves slowly fight her death off was unbearable.  
The thing that made it the worst being here, knowing that if I wanted to get out alive, I'd be coming out alone, because for me to win, my friends would have to die.

I was startled from my thoughts by Alton clapping me on the shoulder. I slipped off the log and landed on the wet ground.

"Watch yourself giant man!" I said in fake anger.

Alton just grinned and pulled me to my feet.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, searching my face.

"Pretty good, Im thinking of taking some of those flowers to plant back home" I replied.

"They'd never let you take them back" Alton said.

"I know" I sighed. "Shame really."

"Lya, our packs are nearly gone. We have barely any medical supplies left, and now that there's just a handful of us left, we're going to need more weapons."

"I've been thinking about that," I said quietly. "We need to get to the Cornucopia".

"Are you mad?" He hissed. "Its filled with Careers!"

I counted them off in my head. "There's only four of them left, and four of us."

"Yes, but we have a child and a boy who I haven't really seen do much yet, so technically its two of us and four of them."

"Well we need to find more weapons, and that's the only place I know of." I retorted.

"What about the maze?" Titus voice came up behind us.

Alton and I turned to look at him, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"Before we met you, we went into the maze, Cora and I. That's where I got my drum. I couldn't find the center, but Im betting its something good."

"If it's so good, someone else probably already has it." Alton stated.

"Or it could be something dangerous, or what if there isn't even a center? What if it just curves around and around and there's only one-way out? We could be lost in there for days." I threw my hands in the air in frustration.

"We don't have many choices." Titus said.

I sighed and threw my pack over my shoulder.

The maze was District 6 territory, and we were in District 3. To get to it, we'd have to cross through 4 and 5, and we hadn't been there yet. Who knows what could be lurking? We were lucky last night, this terrain wasn't very dangerous, and probably a good place to keep camp, but we couldn't all say together. The Capitol would force us apart, force us to fight, or kill us one by one until there was one victor.

District 4 was fishing; I knew that much, and 5 was Power. I didn't like the sound of heading through District 5 terrain. There was no way that a district known for Power would be an easy crossing; it was too tempting to the Gamemakers.

Heading North, we walked slowly through the greenery, leaving the safety of our meadow behind, and in it, any hope for the survival of all of us.

The willow leaves are delicately waving in the breeze and lifting my head, I can smell salt water. The ground beneath me is becoming sloshy and soon we're trampling through a swamp-like land, the puddles splashing with our footsteps.  
Pushing through the last of the shrubs, I stumble into a salty pond.

Looking out as far as I can see, the land is full of winding islands surrounded by muddy brown water. The area is a sly place to take cover in with tall reeds growing along the shallower parts of the lakes.

This is the District 4 terrain.

I walk carefully over the winding sand, my eyes scanning the reeds for any hidden predators. I have a knife secure in my palm and I finger the blade cautiously.  
The reeds to my left wave mockingly in the bitter wind and I quicken my pace, eager to get through this part of the arena.

"I don't like this" Alton says tersely.

"It's too quiet" I reply. "I don't think we should…"

A loud cannon shot cuts off my sentence and I instinctively crouch, blade raised high.

Birds erupt from the stalks of reeds and fly into the air, circling around. They're small and white with blood red beaks. Titus reaches over my shoulder and pulls a knife from the sheath and huddles above me protectively, his eyes trained to the sky while mine stare straight ahead.

Cora is crouched beneath her shield and Alton is murmuring in a low voice to her, most likely words of comfort.

The arena becomes deathly still again as the birds settle in a new area of reeds further away.

Gingerly, I stand with Titus hot on my back. Walking slowly across the isle, my eyes pass curiously over the water as small bubbles are forming further out in the middle of the lake.  
One of the birds swoops down into the patch and flies off. Its blood red beak is haunting, and I see a creature squirming in its mouth. I realize fast that its beak is red with actual blood, that it's not just a decoration of nature. Out of the corner of my eye, I see more bubbles form behind us.

Ducking around fast, I hurl my knife into the water as a creature leaps towards us. The knife impales the water animal and it drops from the sky with a splash near Alton's feet. He kicks it over, and I notice it's a large brown fish with slimy green fins. Its giant teeth protrude sharply over its upper and lower lips and as I glance up to Alton with a questioning look, I see his mouth is set in a hard line as he stares out over me. Turning, my heart races in fear as all around us, bubbles are forming on the surface of the lakes.

"Run" I choke out through my teeth, and wrenching my knife from the creature I duck low and move fast through the reeds.

The bubbles race alongside in the water behind me and I halt suddenly as a creature leaps in front of me. Titus crashes into my back, hurling me directly into the muddy water. The water is foul with the stench of the creatures and I splutter and wipe it from my face.

Drenched, I empty my stomach as I heave into the water. The scent is in my nose, my throat; I can taste it in my mouth. Titus pulls me into his arms and half carries; half drags me into nearby reeds where we crouch. My head is woozy and Im barely aware of the sound of splashing and rumbling around me until a child's scream pieces the arena and instinctively I throw myself from the weeds and run towards the sound.

Alton is splashing around in the water, stabbing with a thick, sharp stick at the movements around him.  
Behind us is Cora, crouched under her shield as creatures slowly pile up around her, flopping on the land, always snapping for her flesh.

I launch the knife in my hand at one fish that leaps a little too close to her, and whirling around, I throw a second over Alton's shoulder, penetrating another animal. With only three knives left in my sheath, I take Cora's hand and pull her to the reeds with Titus. Pushing her down, I tell her to keep quiet and taking my knife from Titus, I race out to help Alton.  
Standing on the isle, I left the knives fly from my hands, collecting them from the dead bodies and before I even have a chance to wipe the blood off them, they're buried in yet another creature. Every now and then, once will leap too close, and its teeth will graze my skin. Hungry for blood, it lands in the water and immediately turns for a second attack, but I'm faster.  
The bodies pile up around us, and exhausted, my muscles ache, but I push on until there is nothing but silence in the water.

Breathing fast, Alton waded from the water and threw himself down next to me.

"What where they?" He says between breaths.

I shake my head and lean forward to clean the blood from the knives, slipping the shiny metal back into my sheath.  
Cora climbs shakily from the reeds and prods one of the fish with a stick.

"Can we eat them?"

I look at the blood oozing from the animal and my stomach turns. The flesh is a dull green and doesn't look appealing at all.  
"If you want to fry it up, go ahead, but I'm not eating it" I turn away and keep walking.

The others follow suit pretty fast and Im vaguely aware of the sun going down at an alarming rate. Soon, we'd be stuck in this muddy place in darkness, and I didn't fancy that too much with those strange carnivores around.

"We wont make it to the next section." I say, turning around to the others.

"I know." Alton replies, "So what are we going to do?"

"We need to find shelter, somewhere we can just sit for the night."

I cut some reeds near the root and start weaving them together. Handing the knife around, we each take more reeds and weave them to make a round hut.  
We settle down amongst the driest, largest patch of reeds we could find, and huddled inside our makeshift house. We eat the cold fruit from one of the packs and I wish we could start a fire, but any wood here would be wet and just smoke us out.

Looking out through the opening in the hut, we watch the Capitol symbol appear in the sky followed by the anthem. There was only one cannon shot today, and sure enough the face appears. It's Hazel, the young girl from District 6, and I can't help but think she doesn't look much older than Cora.

I shiver from the cold and while the others slowly fall asleep, Im stuck lying awake and wondering how much longer I can last here.

Alton wakes after a few hours and we both sit quietly, staring out over the cold, still lake. After a few moments of quiet silence, he turns to me.

"You're thinking about him aren't you?"

"Who?" I question, tilting my head to the side.

His answer is quiet, and it carries softly on the wind towards me.

"Peeta."

I let out a small sigh and entwine my fingers together.

"I miss him," I say quietly.

Alton chuckles gently and nods. "Yeah, I always knew there was something between you two."

I lift my head and smile at him, and he takes one of my hands in his.

"I'll bet he misses you too Lya, don't worry, I'll get you home to him."

"Alton, I can't leave you behind, you have a family to go home too as well"

He just sits quietly and stares out into the darkness, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand.

I turn to stare out into the darkness with him, waiting to see what tomorrow would bring us.


	19. Chapter 19: The Barren Wasteland

Lya and the Labyrinth  
Chapter 19  
The Barren Wasteland

I sat in the morning light and wove some reeds into a long rectangle.

Cutting a hole in the center, I slipped it over Cora's head to make chest armor and tied it to her body using one of the ropes from Alton's pack.

It was crude, but at least it protected her soft body from smaller projectiles, and more importantly, from those strange, carnivorous fish.

We walked through the median of the winding islands, Cora talking in a fast voice to anyone who would listen, spouting information about anything and everything.

I caught Alton's eye and he smiled wearily at me, I chuckled and told him to toughen up.

Fortunately, we didn't encounter any more of the creatures.

Every now and then we saw bubbles forming further out in the muddy water, but that was the only sign of life we saw.

On the horizon, I could see a red dust cloud, the wind blowing it in from the next terrain over.

We nibbled at fruit from our packs as we walked, not daring to sit and rest. We had set out at dawn, and the sun was just reaching its high point, directly above us.  
The heat was strong, and I unbraided my hair and let it free over the back of my neck, hoping it would give me some protection against the temperature.

As my hand swung down from my neck, I caught a glimpse of pink. Rolling up my sleeve, the bracelet Madge had given me was still entwined to my wrist.

It was a little dirty, and the edges frayed, but the colour was vibrant beneath the damage.

Turning my hand over, I saw the small metal bird that had been woven into the center. I wiped at the dirt covering it, and the metal glowed at me.

I was going to miss Madge. Even if I returned, things wouldn't be the same; I'd belong to the Capitol.

A few years back, the boy from District 4 won. His name was Finnick Odair, and he was only fourteen at the time. Since then, he's been the Capitols puppet, waltzing around, seducing woman. I'd almost think he enjoys it, but I can't imagine anyone who would.

I sigh and let my hand fall back by my side.

We were only maybe an hour's walks from the next section of the arena, and I didn't want to spend it wallowing it what could have been or what may be.

If I had to die here, I wasn't going to go down easy, and I wasn't going to regret it.

"Hey Lya" Cora bounced up next to me.

"Hey little one" I replied.

"Do you think if I stood with an apple on my head, and you threw your knife, you could hit it?" she asked excitedly.

"Oh, I don't know, sounds awfully dangerous" I say to her with a sly smile at Alton.

He smirked back at me and jogged a few paces till he was walking next to me while Cora bobbed in front of us.

"Well _I_ think you could" she said matter-of-factly.

"Well I can't practice on you." I feigned horror. "Imagine if I missed?"

She nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe you should practice on Titus" Alton chipped in.

This sent Cora into a fit of giggles and I laughed with her.

"Oh I see how it is." Titus rolled his eyes at us.

I shoved him playfully and he broke into a grin as we spent the remainder of our walking with Cora giggling at amusing ways we could tease Titus.

Our laughter was cut short as we reached the edge of District 4. What were muddy, moist wetlands merged into a dry, barren wasteland with shrubs and dead logs scattered across it.

"District 5. Known for power and electricity." Cora breathed.

The area was eerie and silent. The wind gently blew red dust across the plane and it came to rest on my boots, covering them with the fine flecks.  
I didn't like this one bit at all.

Reaching out beside me, I took Titus's hand in mine. He squeezed it tight and interlocked our fingers.

Beside him, Cora took his other hand, and Alton hers.

Standing in a line, our faces filled with uncertainty, we took a step into the bleak wilderness known as District 5.

**Peeta's POV**

I stared at the monitors in front of me. District 1 still had both its tributes, and Adria and Silas were wandering through the District 10 terrain.

I was just waiting for a mutt to pounce them, one less person for Lya to worry about.

I'd seen her a few times; the camera's followed the likely winners and jumped from excitement to excitement.

In front of me currently, I could see the tributes from 1 on the large monitor, and the boys from 2, 4 and 11 on different monitors, each doing they're own thing.

The boy from 2, Hunter, was sitting at the Cornucopia, stuffing his face with some fruit. The juice dribbled down his chin as he greedily sucked on the flesh and I turned away from his screen in disgust.

The last time I saw Lya was when those water animals were attacking her. I'd sat, eyes glued as she attacked with precision, her beautiful face twisted with concentration and concern for the others.

She moved fast and silent, each swipe of her blade bringing another creature to its death. I cheered and laughed, she was born a wild girl, and she was born a victor.

I'd won a fair amount of money betting on her survival and from sponsors at the Capitol, and I was waiting to use it for when she needed it.

I ran a finger absentmindedly over the bandage that was wrapped around the two last fingers on my right hand. It didn't hurt as much anymore, and at the time I was so angry I didn't even notice I'd broken them both.

After Alton and the others rescued Lya from the District 1 area, I'd followed them closely.

We had been warned of the side effects and the money for the treatment was expensive, so it took me longer than I wished to get it too her.

When they huddled in that cave, I panicked when she snuck out, and relieved when Titus tried to bring her back.

Then when he kissed her, I was furious. By then I'd already sent the parachute to her and I was raging, yelling in the room until Haymitch knocked me right on the jaw and shut me up.

I'd punched the nearest wall and broken my hand, and Haymitch wanted me to go see the doctor, have him zap my hand and heal it instantly.

I refused to leave the screen, staring with hatred at the boy who was taking advantage of the girl I loved.

I'd said a silent thank you to Alton for putting an end to it and giving her the medication.

I didn't hate Lya, it wasn't her fault, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to when they finally split up, and that boy died and she came home to me.

A hot mug of coffee was placed in front of me and I sipped it slowly. The camera was flicking through tributes now and came to rest on Cora.

She was stepping carefully through District 5 terrain. Confused, I watched her prance along through the red dust, and as the camera zoomed out, my heart faced and a lump formed in my throat. Lya was walking along behind her, smiling at her.

The last time I saw tributes here; one had died a slow, horrible death when radiation was released.

I'd watch her suffer terribly, and my whole body screamed silently at Lya to get out of there, but there was nothing I could do.

Writing frantically on the pad in front of me, I whipped around in my chair, and handed the list to the Avox waiting quietly in the room.

He nodded at my urgency and raced out. I just hoped my parachute reached her in time.

**Lya's POV**

Cora pranced in front of me, kicking up the red dust. It was covering us in a fine film and I couldn't wait to leave this dry land and take a bath.

We wander carefully through the empty land, occasionally crawling over or around dead logs and large rocks.

This area wasn't as large as some of the others, so at this pace, and with Cora's small legs, we should reach the other side inside an hour.

Then we just had to find our way through the maze and reach the weapons stash.

"_Oh yea, sounds like a breeze Lya." _I thought to myself.

"Look, look!" Cora called and pointed up.

A silver parachute was drifting down through the sky, not too far ahead of us.

Cora started running for it and with a grin at the boys, I sprinted after her. I was the fastest of us, and I quickly overtook her shorter legs and scooped up the silver prize.

The others arrived next to me, panting but happy. I unscrewed the lid and peering inside, I turned to Alton confused.

"What is it Lya?" He asked, looking in to the container.

I held it out in front of everyone and they all stared, puzzled. Inside was two tubes of creams and bandages.

"Who's hurt?" Cora cried looking around at us.

"No one is, we were all healed back in the forest, and those fish barely did any damage." Titus answered her.

I looked up into Alton's eyes, and I saw his brain ticking.

"Peeta sent this. He's watching us." Alton said slowly.

"Why would he send this to you now? Surely this was expensive, what's he playing at?" Titus snorted.

Peeta was watching, he was watching me, not the others. I thought carefully, there was a reason; he knows something we don't.

I looked around at the barren terrain, it seems harmless enough, but I had known better than to take it at face value.

"We have to go," I announced. "Its not safe, this isn't just a gift, it's a warning."

I quickly packed the entire package into my bag, stuffing the silver parachute inside as well and set off at a brisk pace towards the hedge area.

The others followed quickly, our hearts quickening and as I jogged, I glanced around, looking for any sign of danger.

A small rock vibrated on the ground beneath my feet, and I felt the earth shake slightly. Something was happening.

"Run" I screamed, and immediately launched into a sprint, dashing forward.

Over my shoulder, I saw Alton scoop Cora up in his arms, and loped towards me.  
We darted, breathless as the ground shook.

Ahead of us, the giant wall of the hedge loomed. Realizing we wouldn't be able to climb it, I dug my heel into the ground and skidded to the left, running the distance along the shrub.

A strange heat reached my body and my skin began to sting. Behind me, Cora was screaming.

I saw a parting in the hedge just ahead, and falling to my knees, I crawled through.

A knife slipped free from the sheath and landed on the ground inside the barren land and I ignored it as Cora was pushed through and I pulled her into my lap.

Titus leaped through and Alton practically tore the wall in half, trying to get inside.

Heaving Cora's woven shield against the hole, we sealed ourselves inside and we huddled against the greenery as the terror raged outside.

My breath caught in my throat, and the last thing I heard was Cora loud sobs as I slipped into darkness.


	20. Chapter 20: Left Or Right?

Authors Notes: So yes, I have been away a little bit. Why? You may ask faithful readers, well two reasons. One – I've been cheating on this fanfiction by writing a few others I have going. I have one for Holes nearly ready to launch, and plans to release works for Terra Nova, Chronicle, Stargate Atlantis and John Carter. If you enjoy any of those, feel free to author subscribe.  
Reason two I've been neglecting this fanfic, because people aren't responding anymore. I mean, yes I get fans subscribing to it every few days, but I don't receive reviews anymore. I don't mean that in a greedy sense, I don't want reviews for my own self satisfaction, but I do like to know you enjoy where Im taking this story, or if you think that character should have done something different in that scene ect.  
Oh and if you're wondering why its sunny in October, its spring in Australia.  
A HUGE thank you to **miss requiem passion**, whom inspired me to resurrect Lya from my computer, and this chapter is for you.

* * *

Lya and the Labyrinth  
Chapter Twenty  
Left Or Right

"Lya" a voice called me from far away.

"Lya please wake up."

I groaned and pushed through the darkness, trying to find the voice.

"Lya?"

_I was walking through the Seam; it was a summery day in October and the birds were chirping. Walking along the dirt road, my footsteps found the familiar rocks and bends in the path, and closing my eyes, I held my arms out, embracing the sunshine as I walked._

I skipped to the meadow outside the Seam, there were no fences holding me back this time. I walked through the grass, arms outstretch, letting the long flowers kiss my fingertips. Spinning, my dress flew out beneath me, arching to the sky and falling back to my knees.  
_I laughed, a tinkling sound that echoed through the paradise that surrounded me.  
_  
_"Hello princess."  
_  
_I turned to see a tall youthful man behind me. His face had a bearded shadow, his eyes, brown and soft like mine, twinkling in the sun. Walking towards me, he held his arms out and I ran to him.  
_  
_"Father!" I cried as I leapt into his warm embrace.  
_  
_He smelled exactly like I remembered. Like coal dust, from the mines, like an earthy green scent, from his strong hands digging in our garden, like my mothers perfume. I inhaled deeply, every breathe filling my lungs with happiness.  
_  
_"I've missed you darling." He smiled, pulling away to look at me. "You've grown so much. You're a woman now."  
_  
_"Im still your little girl Father." I said, confused at his words.  
_  
_A low rumble sounded from the mountains north of the Seam.  
_  
_Turning to me, my father knelt on one knees, his eyes urgent on mine.  
_  
_"Listen to me Lya, this is important."  
_  
_"Yes father?" I said, my voice shaking slightly.  
_  
_"You need to wake up."  
_  
_"What?"  
_  
_"You need to open your eyes Lya. You need to leave me, and hurry, quickly, there isn't much time. Go now, and win. Fight for yourself, I know you can do it."_

_Tears were pouring down my face and parts of my body started stinging. My arms were shooting with pain, each tendon alive with fire.  
_  
_"I can't leave you, you just came back to me." I sobbed.  
_  
_"I love you Lya; you can do this. Im rooting for you." He smiled and took a step back.  
_  
_"No! Father!" I screamed and ran towards him.  
_  
_My arms before me, I reached for him, and as I did, he turned to dust and the world crumbled around us, leaving me alone in the darkness._

Forcing my eyes open, I saw two concerned gray eyes looking down on me.

"Lya?" The voice said.

"Ow." I muttered, closing my eyes again.

"Nooo, no little lady, you wake up now. Cmon, sit up."

I was pulled gently to a sitting position and I strained to reopen my eyes.

Looking down on me, Alton heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank heavens," he muttered. "Peeta would have killed me."

Kneeling, I trembled a little before standing, swaying slightly. A few bones cracked as they slid back into their rightful places and my muscles screamed with distress.

I stretched, my vision blurring before it settled on the chaos around me.

Around me, were two parallel walls of high hedge, we were in the corner of one of the passageways, and the hedge loomed in either direction.

Cora was leaning against one of the hedge walls, her eyes wet but her face void of emotion. Turning to look at me, she forced a weak smile but didn't come any closer.

She had a wound on her head, and blood was gently seeping down her cheek, almost like a ruby tear. Her reed armor lay in tatters around her.

Looking up at Alton, he had bad burns up both arms, which where now swelling with red welts. He hunched over, like it hurt to straighten his spine, but his smile was genuine.

"Where's Titus?" I said quietly.

Alton looked at me with sad eyes and I saw Cora stiffen.

"Alton." I said sternly. "Where is Titus?"

"He was hurt bad Lya." He said softly.

"Go on." A voice came from behind us. "Tell her I'm a dead man. We all know its true."

Whipping around so fast, I felt a crack in my neck, Titus was sitting against the wall behind me. He had the sleeping bag wrapped around him and he was shivering.

Looking him over, I couldn't see anything immediately wrong with him, until he pulled the blanket off.  
Gasping, I crawled over to him, my eyes stinging with tears.

His left leg was bloody and mutilated. The skin was stripped in slivers, tearing through his pants and flesh. The wounds were scabbed with a soft yellow pus and I could see that even breathing was causing him pain.

"How?" I demanded.

"Well Lya, you were right. That parachute was a warning. District 5 was flooded with radiation. Radiation! Who knew?" He laughed bitterly.

"But you made it." I was in full tears now. "I saw you climb through with us!"

"Just after you passed out, the air pressure inside tried to push the shield off the hole in the hedge."

"I don't understand"

"He held it in place Lya" Alton murmured behind us.

"Yea, but not before my leg got a nice dosage. They must have something protecting the hedge, because it hasn't died, but I had to step through to get the shield back, that's when it all went wrong."

"Titus…" I cried, loud sobs that tore right through me.

"It's okay. I wasn't going to win anyway." He said bitterly.

Leaning in, I gently kissed his cheek and took his hand in mine. Short of a miracle, we would be leaving Titus behind.

"We should camp here for the night." I said aloud.

Standing up, I turned to Alton.

"Okay, we need wood for a fire, or something to burn. Cora, empty Titus's drum, I'll need it. Both of you hunt for water. Take the tattered reeds, leave a trail so you can find your way back."

Standing up, I searched through all our supplies and lay them out.

In my backpack, I still had my water, matches and my sleeping bag. I also had a few juicy forest fruits left. In Alton's bag we had matches, wire, a seriously diminished medical kit, two coils of rope and metal clips. In Titus's drum were the map, a knife and assorted odds and ends.

Moving to the furthest corner of the hedge, I looked around the looming hallway. Taking a rope and clips with me, I slung it across the bottom between the two walls, making a trip wire. Moving back past Titus, I crossed to the next exit and did the same thing.

Coming back to Titus, wood was neatly piled for me. Lighting a fire, I let the smoke billow freely, not having anything to disguise it with. Besides, in this maze, chances were low someone could see our smoke and follow it to find us.

Putting Titus's drum onto the fire, I poured some water in and waited for it to boil. Dipping a cloth in, I gently cleaned his wounds, trying to carefully rearrange the strips of flesh. He flinched at every touch, but never once complained.

Taking out a knife, I cut his pants leg at the thigh, above the rips and gently set about removing the pieces of fabric from his wounds. Reaching into my chest pocket, I pulled out the tiny crystal vial full of glowing gold. Titus eyes' grew wide and he reached out to grab my hand. Pushing my hand back on my own chest, Titus shook his head.

"No Lya. You need to save that for yourself." He objected.

"Oh, so Im supposed to sit here and watch my friend die?" I said to him. "Sure, I'll just crawl over your body to my undeserving victory. Don't be such a martyr Titus. I've already made my mind up and you can't change that." I was yelling now.

He shook his head, his mouth set firm.

"I'm not going to let you."

"Then I will knock you out and do it myself." I hissed. "You really think we have a chance of beating the others without you?"

"Yes." He said bitterly.

"Well bad luck Titus. I can't look after Alton and Cora at the same time. I can't watch both their backs. We need you_, I_ need you."

He gave me a small smile.

"Shut up." I muttered and uncorked the crystal jar.

His face objected but he didn't make a move to stop me. Carefully, I tilted the jar until the thick liquid reached the neck. It flowed down over the air like honey, enlightening his wounds where it settled between the deep muscle and tissue. The light settled on his face, making his green eyes shine vibrantly.

He turned his face to mine and reached out tentatively taking my free hand. I poured the tiny vial until the last drop trickled out.

The ribbons of gold wove their way over his leg, dancing between the fibers of skin and mending as they twirled.

Behind me, a hand reached down and squeezed my shoulder, looking up; I saw Alton and Cora's face illuminated by the light.

The brilliant nova dwindled to a gentle dull, and finally disappeared altogether.

Titus looked at me with hesitance and I reached over and ran my hand down his leg, the skin smooth and healthy.

"Lya?" He said cautiously.

"Yea?"

"I cant feel that." He said, panic rising in his voice.

Eyes wide, I pinched his skin but to no reaction. His breathing quickened and I could see terror streaming through him. Reaching forward, he hit his leg, again, and again. I stretched out and caught his fist before he could do more damage.

"Titus..."

"I can't feel my leg Lya!" He yelled.

"You're fully healed, why would this…" I picked up the bottle, "why would it do this? It was supposed to heal everything!" I threw the jar in frustration.

"Try and stand." Alton said, reaching out a hand.

Titus took it, and pulled himself up, leaning on Alton. Tentatively he leaned on his leg, bending his knee.

"Can you walk?" Cora asked.

"I don't know." Gently Titus moved away from Alton, and he was able to stand on his own. Lifting the foot to take a step was another matter.

He had no control over his muscle movements.

"Lean back on me and walk." Alton said.

Taking his arm, Titus managed to walk a few steps.

"I can lean on it" he said. "I just can't walk without help. I can't feel anything at all."

"This isn't necessarily a bad thing Titus." I said softly. "Before, you would have died of infection, blood loss, picked off by an enemy. You can't feel anything, but you're still alive. The nectar gave you another chance."

"Well, we'll see if its useful or not." Titus murmured, palpating his thigh.

"I actually brought you back this, and it was a good guess too." Alton chuckled, fetching a long thick stick with a V-neck top.

"It will make a good crutch."

"Good thinking, thanks Al" Titus said.

I saw Alton's face slip at the nickname, but he didn't say anything more.

We sat and ate for a while, rubbing the cream Peeta sent us on our blisters and the parts of us with melted skin, and wrapping them with the bandages.

Stretching our aching joints, we gathered everything and set out to take on the maze in the hedge. We'd been here for hours now, and I'd only just realized that we made it. We made it to District 6. Cora was telling us in her high voice that District 6 was well known for Transportation, and we were struggling to see how it related to a maze, unless it was a cruel interpretation of wandering around forever, always moving.

I shuddered at the thought of not making it out and pushed it aside.

I let the others walk a little ahead, knife drawn, I was watching their backs. They rounded a corner and I paused, wanting to have a private conversation with someone, oh and all of Panem, but that can't be helped.

Silently, I mouthed "thank you" to the sky, followed by "I love you."

Finally, just as Katniss did when she was honoring Rue's death, I honored Titus's new chance at life by raising my three middle fingers up in salute. It's not common anymore, a movement created by the old ways.

It means thank you, it means admiration, and it means goodbye to a loved one.

Before the others missed me, I gave a small smile, and turned to follow the others, disappearing deeper into the hedge.

We rounded corner after corner, occasionally meeting a crossroad. We had no idea of our position in the hedge, having entered in such an unusual way. I marked where we were going with reeds. I'd tried to cut a mark in the hedge, but coming back to it later, I found it grown over already. This terrain was alive, it could feel, it could think, it could _sense _us, and that terrified me.

It was hours later before we found anything of use. We came across a small basket filled with fresh bread, dried meat, coconuts and fresh water.

My throat was dry, I had been sparingly drinking only what was really needed for a day now, and my body was weakening.

"This must get refreshed daily." Titus said, leaning down to grab a loaf of bread.

He was walking fine now with the use of the crutch, but the feeling hadn't returned to his leg yet.

We packed the food and drink into our bags, each taking part of the bread to nibble on and sharing some water.

Walking on, I flicked a few reed leaves down before crashing right into Alton, who had stopped in his tracks.  
Clutching my head, I reached out and smacked the back of his head.

"What's the hold up big guy?" I said.

"Dead end." He shrugged, stepping aside.

Sure enough, the hedge cornered us in on all three walls.

"Okay, so we cut a way through, how thick can it be?" Titus said.

"No use, my dagger would take hours, we have to go back." I sighed and turning around, we headed back.

After about ten minutes, I stopped and looked around.

"We should have reached the place where we found the food by now."

The others all looked around. We'd come back exactly the way we left…so why did everything look different?

"The maze has changed." I murmured.

"What?" Titus exploded. "How are we supposed to make it to the center, if the minute we turn our back, we're trapped!"

"Calm down, we don't have any choice but to keep moving." Alton put a hand on his shoulder.

Grumbling, he hobbled forward on his crutch, and I slipped past him, taking the lead.

Slinking through the maze, I twirled the dagger in my hand, watching the gleam of the metal in the sunlight.

I had 5 knives left, having lost one inside the dry desert. One less weapon could mean a huge difference out here when the fight comes down it.

We walked for another hour in silence, except for the occasional arguing about whether we should take the left or right crossroad.

My foot stepped out and where I expected to land on hard ground, I fell right through.

Alton reached out and grabbed my jacket, forcing it off my back where I held tight to the sleeve. Looking down, I'd fallen into a hidden pit, and the only thing stopping me from dropping further was the hold Alton had on me.

"Lya, don't let go!" Titus called down.

"That's your best advice!" I called through gritted teeth.

Swinging my other arm up to grab Alton's free hand, he gently pulled me up into his arms and we fell back on the safety of the ground.  
Crawling to the edge of the pit, I peered over into the darkness.

The floor was filled with old bones and stalagmites made of rock.  
The pit was designed to sit directly in the center of the hallway, with small edges on either side. If we wanted to cross, we would have to hug the wall and inch our way through.

I pulled the rope from Alton's pack and tied it around Cora's waist.

Securing it to myself, I encouraged her as she started inching along the wall.

Following carefully, I let my feet crawl slowly over the ground. On the other side of the wall, Titus and Alton were bound by a rope and making the trek across, Titus dragging his dead leg along best he could.

Between us, a deep crater loomed.

Crumbling sand feel from where my boot kicked it, down into the cavern.

I held my breath and inched along further. Cora was moving slowly, step by step, but as she put her foot out to step from the ledge to the other side, the ground beneath her crumbled and a scream escaped her chest.

Swiftly, I leapt the distance of the ledge over her, landing on the hard ground.

I swung my knife out and pierced the earth, securing myself.

Cora swung from the rope over the ledge, and I started to pull her up. In a hurry, Titus and Alton reached the other side and helped pull our youngest tribute to safety.

Crying, she sobbed on my jacket, and I rubbed her back soothingly.

Alton picked her up in his arms, and carried her, far away from that terrible hollow in the ground.

The sky was dark now, and no Capitol anthem played tonight.

Ten tributes where left.

We settled down in a crook in the maze, but I'd be lying if I said it was easy to fall asleep.

I just hope we find the center soon, or at least some way out of here.


End file.
